Dark Dragon of Fairy Tail
by RaisingArizona
Summary: Another Dragon Slayer was among their ranks and they didn't even know it, not until Natsu demanded a fight with her and called her out on her "secret" after she beat him handily. Now, with darkness soon covering Magnolia like a shroud, will the Fairy Tail wizards make it out alive or die trying?
1. Return to Fairy Tail

**Hello to everyone! I had been thinking about writing a Fairy Tail story for a while now, especially since I am slowly catching up on the shows that I couldn't watch for a while since I was used to the Funimation version. Anyway, it might get a little violent in the next chapter, but right now it's not too bad. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1: Return to Fairy Tail**

I walked in the shadows of the alleys in Magnolia as I made my way to the only guild worth being in. I hadn't been here in so long, in fact it had been about six months since I had been back and things had changed. I looked up and saw the guildhall towering over the back half of the city as I approached. The shadows surrounding me lengthened and shifted like water as I walked along, reaching a busy road and knowing that I needed to cross in order to reach the last alley that would lead me all the way to the guildhall. I grinned under the shade of my hood as I took the last step at a run, just a blur and no one even noticing me go past. I turned back in the new alley and watched everyone walking up and down the main road, going about their business as if the guild that resided in their city was no big deal since they were desensitized to their crazy antics. I saw a few children had taken notice of me and I smiled softly, but then they ran off to chase a shadow that looked like a rabbit that jumped out from the alley with me. I turned back into the shifting darkness and continued on the path until finally the guildhall loomed over me.

It was a lot bigger than I remembered it to be, so something must have happened to force everyone to change its appearance. I hoped that no one was seriously injured in whatever had transgressed here and walked slowly into the light. I cringed at how bright it was and made my way to the gate. I could hear yells and screams from within, but these sounds were actually quite normal for the guild called Fairy Tail. I could only imagine which member of the guild was the one that instigated this fight as I approached the large doors.

I waited as two shadows stretched up to the doors in the shapes of strong arms, pulling the doors apart and causing everyone inside to turn in my direction. Silence fell heavily as they all stared at me as I walked inside. I saw out of the corner of my eye that my shadow shivered excitedly when I made it about halfway to the counter at the back of the guildhall and heard a loud shout off to my right. I stopped to see a yelling pink haired young man being held back by a half-naked young man and a scarlet haired girl with a determined expression.

"It's YOU!" he shouted at me, his clenched fists erupting into flames as he thrashed in their hold.

"Natsu, no!" a voice yelled as a blue cat flew to the pink haired one, grabbing him by the scarf and pulling him back as well. "You can't keep trying to fight her every time she comes back to town!"

"I want to fight her right NOW!" Natsu shouted again as he nearly broke free. "Gray! Erza! Happy! Let me go!"

"Gray, let's just let him face his fate now," the scarlet haired one named Erza sighed. "He won't listen to reason."

"Alright, but it's your funeral, Natsu," Gray told him as they all released him from their grip. "Just know you can't beat her Shadow Magic."

He rushed at me and I let him get closer until he was about to use one of his Dragon Slayer moves, the shadows beneath him shifting and solidifying into a large fist that shot out of the ground and sent him flying up into the ceiling. He groaned, sticking to the stone of the ceiling itself before falling back down to the ground thanks to gravity. I knew I hit him a bit too hard, so I formed a net from the shadows and held them above the tables with poles as he landed softly, looking as if he was seeing stars and I released the shadows so that he fell a short distance to the ground. I shook my head slightly and walked over to the guild's leader.

"Master Makarov, I have returned," I said, nodding my head at him as he sat on the counter in front of Mirajane.

"How did the quest go?" Mira asked me cheerily as she brought Makarov another tankard full of some kind of alcohol.

"It went well," I told her, giving her a small smile that she probably didn't see thanks to my hood.

I saw out of the corner of my eye as a blonde girl with keys strapped to her belt and a little blue headed girl with a white cat in her arms approached Erza. "Who is that wizard?" the blonde one asked curiously.

"No one knows her real name except for Makarov, who keeps that a secret at her request," Erza explained to them. "In fact, we don't even know her magical capabilities. We just started to call her Shadow because she bends the shadows to her will. She's an S-Class wizard and she's easily the strongest one we have. She once beat Laxus in a fight."

"But wasn't he technically a Dragon Slayer like Natsu, Gajeel, and me?" the little girl with the white cat asked. Imagine that, a little girl being a Dragon Slayer.

"He had a Dragon Lacrima implanted in him, but he was still very strong as a Lightning Dragon Slayer," the blond one said.

"That's right, Lucy," Erza said before giving an explanation to the little girl. I then turned my attention back to the master of the guildhall, who had a slight smile on his face.

"You could always stay here for a while longer," he told me. "No one will be able to find out your secret if you stay for a few days. Besides, doesn't one of your shadows need the mark of Fairy Tail?"

I looked up at him, surprised that he had heard the news about me so soon. "Not yet. If I let them see this one, they'll know for sure what I am."

"REMATCH!" I heard Natsu yell and he ran up to me, a fire burning in his eyes as he stood beside me.

"Why do you insist on fighting me?" I asked him quietly, my long black coat keeping me in the shadows.

"Because you always do something to daze me so you can get out of a fight!" he told me. "If you want me to leave you alone, then fight me for real and don't hold back!"

I sighed and knew that this would be my only chance to get him off my back whenever I showed up in Magnolia, so I ripped off my coat and made everyone gasp. I had forgotten that most people didn't know what I looked like since I hadn't let people see under the coat in such a long time. I had long blue black hair that I insisted on braiding and it was now over my shoulder, draping down over my chest. I was of average height and was wearing a black halter dress that went down to my knees, boots that were gladiator styled and black like the dress. On my back in between my shoulder blades was a large royal blue mark of Fairy Tail. I stared at Natsu with eyes that were golden before nodding my consent to this fight. He grinned and rushed outside, his blue cat named Happy flying after him.

I followed after him and out into the courtyard, Master Makarov yelling after me to make sure Natsu didn't get out of control. I waved away his words and stepped out into the sunlight, squinting as I was blinded with the brightness of the sun. I created sunglasses made from shadows in the palm of my hand and put them on, feeling a little better now that I could actually see. I heard a shout as Natsu rushed at me, his fists on fire and everyone began rushing outside to see what transpired.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu yelled, about to punch me when the shadows lengthened and a rope burst free from them, wrapping around his wrist tightly to keep him in place. "You're doing it again! This is cheating!"

"Actually, no," I told him. "We never discussed the rules of this fight before you decided to pigheadedly charge at me. I just want to clarify them first."

"The person who is left standing wins!" I heard Erza say and I grinned.

"Are those terms agreeable to you?" I asked him.

"Yes, now let's do this! I'm all fired up now!"

I disintegrated the rope around his wrist and the shadows behind me stretched further, a large clawed foot stomping the ground followed by another. I moved aside to avoid his punches as a head managed to burst free from the shadows and soon pulled its entire body out. It roared at Natsu, its crimson eyes glaring as it stretched its wings out from behind it. Standing before the Fire Dragon Slayer was a dark dragon of epic proportions as it stood to its full height before him. It beat its wings and the wind coming from them knocked Natsu to the ground in a heap as he slid back across the courtyard. I walked over to the dragon and placed a hand on its flank, the shadows it was made from looking more substantial as it roared again.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" he yelled, shooting fire at the dragon. Surprisingly enough, it ripped through the dragon and it swirled into the air before going back into the rest of the shadows beside me. "Now, fight me for real. You're holding back on purpose."

I grinned and was instantly in front of him before he could blink. He looked shocked as the shadows congealed onto one of my fists as I slammed it into his stomach, the breath wheezing from his lungs as he hit the ground hard. I waited for a while for him to get back up, but he stayed where he was as Happy flew over to him to make sure he was ok. I felt bad for what I did, but turned back around to head back inside as I saw everyone that were standing outside looking shocked at what my magic could do. I heard movement from behind me and turned back to see Natsu on his stomach, glaring at me wildly but still not getting to his feet.

"There's one thing I don't understand," he said, "and it's why you haven't told anyone about what you really are."

I felt a cold chill travel down my spine and I knew for a fact that he had somehow figured out my secret. "I don't know what you mean," I said simply.

"Yes you do!" he shouted. "Why haven't you told anyone that you're a Dragon Slayer?!"

I heard my guild mates gasp in shock as I cringed at his words. I had a glimmer of false hope that maybe he wouldn't say what I really was, but it was crushed to bits when he told the truth. I was going to say something when I saw my own shadow shiver like water before a tiny furry body pulled its way through and looked up at me. It was a kitten that looked like a miniature tiger with blood red eyes, but it had tiny wings stretched out behind it with one of them in a black splint made from the shadows itself.

"Mara, what's taking so long?" the little one asked before seeing everyone watching. "Oh… I didn't mean…"

"It's alright, Ty," I told her, reaching down to pick her up and sit her on my shoulder. "I know you can't use that power of yours for long periods of time yet."

As she happily rubbed her cheek against mine, I watched as Natsu openly gaped at me with Happy standing on his head. "See what I mean? Why didn't you say anything? Why was it so important to keep your true nature hidden?"

"Timara," I heard someone say, turning around to see Makarov walking over to me. "Why don't you come inside and actually introduce yourself to everyone. I know that the confusion will wear off once you do."

I nodded and followed him inside the guildhall with the kitten cooing in my ear in an attempt to make me feel at ease. She knew that I hadn't let anyone in except for her and that it was now time to do the same with the other members of Fairy Tail. Makarov led me to the stage they had built for occasions like this and I hopped up there relatively easy as everyone filtered in front of the stage. I watched as Natsu and happy sat down on the stage instead of being with his friends. I thought it was strange at first, but I cast my thoughts away from that as everyone began to quiet down.

"I know I haven't been a good member of Fairy Tail, but I would like to rectify that mistake now that Natsu revealed what I am," I told them all, making sure to make my voice carry throughout the guildhall. "My name is Timara Wyvernia and I am a Shadow Dragon Slayer. The kitten on my shoulder is named Tyger, but I call her Ty for short. The dragon that taught me everything I know is Skiadrum, but he is unfortunately dead. My brother killed him."

"Your brother killed the dragon who taught you both everything?" a large man with a black cat sitting beside him asked, and I knew he had to be the other Dragon Slayer I had heard about.

"Skiadrum had fallen ill and was dying, so he asked for him to kill him. I was too young for the dragon to even consider asking me to do it. I'm still angry at my brother for actually killing him, but I know deep down that he was going to die either way. I just don't understand why he had to kill him when I was learning so much seven years ago."

"Wait, was he killed on the seventh day of the seventh month?" Natsu asked without looking at me.

"Yes, why?"

"Because all of our dragons disappeared at the exact same time seven years ago without any warning."

I shook my head but continued on with my introduction. "Anyway, I pressed Skiadrum to teach me close range magic when all he wanted to do was teach me the long range kind to protect me. He didn't like the thought of having me so close to danger, but I conned him into it. So that's how I used Shadow Dragon's Slash. I loved that dragon like my own father and I miss him very much."

"Can you make anything out of the shadows?" I heard the little girl ask me, her eyes lighting up excitedly.

"I'm the only one out of the two of us that can," I told her with a smile. "Tell me anything you want me to make and I can do it."

"How about a lion?" she suggested and held onto the white cat a little tighter to her chest.

I nodded and concentrated, the shadows lengthening until they formed before me. Two large paws that were pitch black came out from them and pulled the lion's body out, roaring at the crowd as it closed its crimson eyes. Its maw shone red as well before it looked down regally at them. I heard the little girl gasp in surprise as I said, "Would you like to pet it?"

"You can't let a little girl pet a full grown lion!" Natsu exclaimed, flinching a bit when it turned to growl at him.

"Of course she can!" I told them all. "If she really wanted, she could ride it all over Magnolia and it would be as gentle as a kitten!"

"Will you ride it with me?" she asked excitedly.

I nodded and the girl ran up to the lion, I helped her up onto its back once it crouched down for me and I got up there to sit behind her. Ty curled up beside my neck as the white cat's wings appeared and she flew before the little girl's face. "Wendy, you can't be serious about this!"

"Calm down, Carla!" Wendy said with a smile. "Natsu and Happy, will you watch out for Carla while we're gone?"

Natsu couldn't answer as he looked at us on the lion for he was sprawled out on the stage and seemed very sick. "Are you kidding me, Natsu?" Lucy groaned. "It's a lion and you're getting motion sickness already?"

"They're using it as transportation," he mumbled.

I rolled my eyes and the lion jumped over everyone's heads to the cleared aisle before running to the door. It loped lazily as it made its way along the middle of the courtyard and soon reached the road. I saw people gaping in surprise as they saw a black lion making its way down the main road, Wendy giggling excitedly and holding onto its mane to stay in place. I thought for sure that more people would be scared by this, but they cheered us on as we went by.

"Later, you should make a shadow puppet story!" Wendy told me, looking back at me as we ran on throughout Magnolia.

"I've done it once before back when I was a little girl," I told her. "I don't think any of them remember it, but I showed everyone in Fairy Tail a story of a dragon and a little girl."

"Tell it again tonight! Please, please, please!"

This might be an older girl, but she still had the innocence of a child and I admired that quality that still hadn't been marred by the terrible truth of the world. I promised that I would and she happily yelled as we rode on. We reached an area of land near the middle of Magnolia where cherry blossom trees were growing, the largest one in the very center with a picnic table pulled up in front of it. I saw Lucy sitting there with a little shivering creature that looked like a snowman that seemed to squeak before disappearing behind her when we came into sight. Lucy waved to us and I let the shadow lion disappear once we were off of its back. She had a wicker basket beside her and said that she was waiting for Natsu and Happy to arrive, but so far they hadn't showed so we were allowed to wait with her. They asked me a bunch of questions about my life and I answered them the best I could.

"So how did you meet Tyger?" Wendy asked me.

"It's a long story," I laughed.

"Tell us, Timara!" Lucy begged. "I'd like to hear the story as well!"

"Well, alright then," I said, settling a now sleeping kitten on my lap, careful to make sure her wing didn't get caught and hurt her more. "I had just finished up a mission in a small village in the savannah, one that was being terrorized by a large demonic lion. I guess he went around eating the livestock, going so far as to kill a shepherd and his flock of sheep. I was sent to kill it but soon discovered that he was defending himself against that shepherd and he was starving from moving all this way from his homeland where the land was dead, barren of all life including his mate and their cubs. Instead of killing it, I took the lion somewhere else where he could lord over all the animals and be healthy again. The lion told me that if I ever needed an ally to send for him immediately.

"I was in a forest about five days travel back to Magnolia because I had heard about what had transpired here, about how the whole town was swallowed by an Anima and then most of them turned into a giant Lacrima for the people of Edolas. I was told the story about how Mystogan, the new king of Edolas, sent them all back with the residents of Extalia, the Exceeds. I was about halfway through the forest when I saw pieces of a large egg fall down to the forest floor and heard a shrill cry before a little furry thing fell between the branches of a tree. I had to use my Shadow Magic to move fast as a blur and leapt through the air to catch it. I guess the poor thing had tried to fly, but was too little to go very far and crashed landed, one of its wings broken. It cried inconsolably and I used my shadows to put a splint around its broken wing. I sang to it until it calmed down and asked me where she was. I told her that she was in a forest and that we should wait for her parents to show up. I waited for about half the day when I soon realized that the kitten's parents either didn't know that their egg was gone or they dropped it on purpose. I asked her if she wanted a name and I've been calling her Tyger after her tiger like fur."

"Aww, the poor kitten," Wendy whispered, reaching over to pet her and watching her little legs twitch.

"What I can't believe is that they didn't notice their egg just disappear," I said. "And if they did just get rid of the egg like that, what kind of parent would ever do that?"

"You don't think they got rid of her after she was born, do you?" Lucy asked me.

"I'm wondering if the eye color and her ability frightened them so much that they thought it was a good idea to abandon her."

"Her ability?" Wendy said to herself.

"She can control the shadows like me, only her ability is a little different," I told them. "She can become one with the shadow and hide there. She's more defense right now since she's so little, but I've also seen her jump into a shadow cat I created before and control it from within."

"It's kind of funny that a Shadow Dragon Slayer gets a cat with the same abilities she has," Lucy laughed.

We finally saw Natsu on his way here, Happy grabbing hold of him and carrying him through the sky as he flew along. "Are you going to use Tyger to fly like that one day?" Wendy asked me. "Carla and I can fly like that as well, and I'm not sure but I think so can Gajeel and Pantherlily."

"Maybe one day if Ty wants to," I told her as I watched Natsu and Happy get closer. "For now, I can fly on my own when I need to."

"How?" Lucy asked me quizzically.

"Like this!"

I got up from the bench of the picnic table, keeping Ty in my arms as the shadows creeped up my legs and to my back where they solidified, shifting into big bat like wings that were scaly like a dragon's. I flapped them gently, hovering about a foot off the ground and Lucy and Wendy clapped in awe as Natsu and Happy landed next to the table. I saw them both watch, surprised that I could do that. I made the wings dissipate and landed lightly on the grass before sitting back down in my previous spot as Natsu sat down across from me while Happy hovered over the kitten that was settled back on my lap.

"So now that I'm here, can we eat the grub now?" Natsu turned to Lucy and asked.

"Yes, Mr. Impatient. It's not like we were waiting for you to show up or anything."

Mira had made us all a few sandwiches for us to eat and we ate them relatively fast, Natsu scarfing his down quicker than the rest of us ever could. I looked up at the sky to see the sun setting slowly, casting more shadows as Ty woke up from her nap. The little kitten pointed down at them and I knew what she wanted. With a small smile on my face, I form a mouse in the shadow and Tyger shot off my legs with a yowl, chasing the mouse as it scurried around in the grass. Happy took off after her with a laugh, being careful not to hurt the kitten or her injured wing.

"Do you mind not treating Happy like a regular cat?" Natsu grumbled at me. "He's my best friend."

"First of all, I was doing that for Ty's benefit, not your partner's," I said as I watched them play. "Second, I've never seen you act this way with anyone else, so that means you really don't like me, do you?"

He sighed but looked me in the eyes when I finally turned back to him. "I just don't understand how a Dragon Slayer isn't proud of the gift she was given."

"I've been through a lot in my life, Natsu Dragneel. I learned from a young age to keep my magic a secret from others lest I'm beaten to within an inch of my life and left to die. I didn't even have the comfort of memories prior to it, just the beating and the black hole of memories I can't get back. I don't even remember what my name used to be, but thanks to Skiadrum I had a name and a father figure."

They all gave me a look of sympathy, one I didn't feel deserving of but Natsu no longer harbored the grudge against me. He gave me a smile and offered me a hand, shaking it in my face a bit before I got the message that I was supposed to take it. I grabbed his hand and he shook it energetically, his smile getting even bigger.

"I guess you're not so bad after all," he said. "I can't exactly blame you after what you just said."

As I had promised Wendy, I dragged everyone back to the guildhall where I found the white screen rolled up above the stage. Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily flew up to it and dragged it down before I could protest that I could get it on my own, but they just seemed so eager to see the show. I decided that I didn't need a source for shadows, going with my own power to form them.

Once everyone had settled down, Natsu and Wendy sitting beside Gajeel, Lucy, Gray, and Erza with the cats, I turned to look at Tyger, who was leaning over my shoulder to look at everyone. "Are you ready?" I asked her, seeing her as she turned to look at me with bright red eyes that were wide in excitement. "You can pick whichever character you want for however long you think you can handle it."

"I want to play the brave dragon!" she exclaimed. "I haven't played the dragon yet!"

I laughed and created a ball of swirling darkness in the palm of my hand as the lights everywhere except for the ones above stage went out. I bowed theatrically to them before standing straight again and calling out to everyone in the room.

"Welcome!" I said, smiling a little. "I was asked by Wendy to give a shadow puppet story and I've come up with a bunch for children in different towns, but I had the idea to tell the one that a few of you had heard before. It's called The Adventures of a Girl and her Dragon. It's based on a true story and edited a little bit to have a happier ending. With me on stage to play the part of the dragon is my Tyger, so sit back and enjoy the show!"

I stepped back and sent the ball of shadows at the screen, watching as it spread along the entire area of the fabric before going back to normal. Tyger jumped off my shoulder and launched her little body at the screen, making it shiver as she sank into it and a huge dragon appeared on it.

"Once upon a time in a land like this, there was a large dragon named Darkonia," I said, everyone laughing as Tyger made little roaring noises. "This dragon was feared throughout the land, although it was just from its appearance that made it so scary to the people there. They thought it would attack soon if they didn't do something to stop it, so they gathered up as many fighters as they could and sent them all up to the dragon's lair. Wanting nothing more than to be left alone, the dragon had to fight back to keep its life intact."

I created little shadow people with pitchforks and torches that climbed up a mountain, once inside they chased after the dragon, who soon was left with no choice but to attack. "The dragon felt remorse for what it had to do, but it soon became a habit that villagers from all around the mountain would send their best fighters to attack it. Enraged with their behavior, the dragon decided one day to take the fight to them, climbing out from its lair and taking to the skies." I showed the dragon leaving its cave and flying around the peak of the mountain.

"Not long after it had finally set its sights on a town, it flew down and circled the town, watching them go about their day. The dragon then heard voices on the wind and enhanced its eyesight to look down onto town square to see a little girl in the middle of a large circle of men, all of them holding weapons as they approached her. They were all shouting things amongst themselves and frightening the little girl enough that she cowered on the ground in fear. The great dragon swooped down from above, picking up the girl in its talons and killing the ones who scared her so. The dragon then took her back to his lair, teaching her how to defend herself against people who were much bigger than she was and becoming a father figure in her life. Soon, the dragon found another child that was like the girl, abandoned and lonely. The new child and the girl got along famously and they all lived happily ever after!"

They all cheered happily for the story as Tyger leapt out of the screen and we both bowed graciously. I pulled the screen and made it shoot back up to the ceiling, both of us bowing once more before hopping down off the stage with the kitten in my arms. I didn't have a place to stay, so Lucy offered for me to stay the night at her apartment. I followed her to a pretty large building on the riverfront, helping her make a makeshift bed on the floor and I lay down with Ty. The kitten was curled up on my chest as I watched the stars outside the window before the sounds of Lucy's and Ty's breathing lulled me to sleep.


	2. New Day

**Hello again! I would like to thank everyone who has read the story so far and a special thanks to the ones who have hit the favorite/follow buttons for my story! It means a lot to know that you like it enough to do either! The story, for those of you who may or may not be ok with violence, is going to start out in a bad situation. It's just so that you get an understanding of her past and why it is that she kept her Dragon Slayer Magic a secret for so long. Reviews are welcome and much appreciated! Enjoy the latest chapter!**

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**Chapter 2: New Day**

Pain. That's all I could remember. I looked up to see a group of men towering over me, kicking and beating me with whatever blunt objects they could find. They looked more like demons than men and I was deeply afraid. Something sharp was jabbed into my stomach and blood poured out from me. I was petrified and whimpered, closing my eyes as the torture continued.

"Maybe next time, you won't come into our village, demon," one of the men leaned down to growl at me. I tried to curl up into a ball to make myself as small as I possibly could, but my broken ribs screamed in protest.

"I bet she works for that dragon," another one hissed. "There's no other way that she can play with the shadows like that and not be an underling for it!"

"Please," I whimpered up at them. "I don't know what you're—" The breath rushed from between my lips as a foot kicked me hard in the back and I couldn't move as the fear washed over me again.

"Shut up!" the leader yelled. "You're the reason why the dragon keeps coming here to kill all our livestock, to destroy the homes we built and kill us all!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I screamed, covering my ears with my hands and tears slid down my dirty face. "I don't even know who you are!"

Over the yells and shouts, I heard one of the men gasp in surprise. "Wait!" he yelled to them. "She's a little girl and she doesn't even remember anything about us! We've gone too far!"

The leader turned around and stabbed a crude spear through the sympathetic man. He made a terrible gurgling noise before slumping forward against the spear and I screamed. I didn't know what else to do. They were going to kill me and I knew it. I was scared for my life and all of a sudden, I felt a dark place in my heart rip open and burst free. The shadows around us in the night darkened and spread. With a screeching noise, spikes of darkness erupted from the ground and stabbed everyone to keep them in place, only wounding them and not causing serious damage. They all yelped and screamed as I got to my feet, watching as the shadows solidified and from them crawled the demons the men so feared.

"If you think _I'm_ a demon, then you're really going to love them!" I yelled.

The demons howled and shrieked before charging at the men. I covered my eyes as tearing noises and gurgles could be heard, the men that attacked me screamed loudly in fear just before the demons killed them. I didn't cry at their deaths since they didn't care if they killed me during their attack. I heard the screams finally cease and I looked up to see the demons standing around me. They gave me a look that meant they didn't mean me any harm. They came forward and touched everywhere that I was injured, wrapping shadow bandages around broken bones and cuts when a large shadow swooped down from the sky. I looked over at it when it landed not far from me, seeing that it was a dragon.

"You have a gift," the dragon said. "I apologize that these men did this to you. I hurried to your aide as fast as I could when I heard them doing that, but you took care of it."

"What am I?" I asked him, crying again. "Why did they attack me?"

"You're a wizard, little one, that's all," he said softly. "Many people around here aren't used to magic. What's your name?"

"I…" I thought about it, but it was a blank. I couldn't remember a thing past the beating I had received. "I can't remember…"

The dragon stared at me for a few seconds before saying, "Come with me. You can live with me and I will protect you from harm, even train you to use your magic. And as for the name… how about Timara Wyvernia?"

It had a nice ring to it and I approved, smiling a little at the great dragon before climbing onto its back, my shadows dispersing throughout the air as the dragon leapt into the air and flew us back to his lair.

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"Mara, wake up!" I heard a little voice yell at me, biting my ear gently to pull on it.

I opened my eyes to slits, hearing a light laugh and seeing Lucy with her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter, the nightmare pushing its way to the back of my mind. My kitten hopped up onto my chest and smacked her little paws on my forehead, but I grabbed her before she could dig her tiny claws into my skin like she's done before. She kicked her little legs and screamed wildly, giving me a happy grin and flapping her one wing that wasn't splinted. I let go and watched as she flew upwards a few inches before she got tired, dropping down onto the safety net that was my hands. I hugged her and she purred before she smacked me with her paws from lack of oxygen from being hugged so tightly.

"So what's your plan for your day, Timara?" Lucy asked me, smiling as Ty crawled her way up to my head so she could lie there.

"Well, I really need to find a place to live," I said. "Money isn't a problem because I save more than I use, I just never had need for a home for myself."

"Why is that?" Lucy asked.

"I always made sure to leave the guild on a mission as fast as possible to avoid anyone knowing what my powers were, but now that the cat's out of the bag I can stay longer," I told her. "I just need to find somewhere to live."

"I'll help you find places, if you want!" Lucy told me, getting ready for the day. She was so excited and happy that I couldn't say no. We both walked outside the door to see Wendy and Carla waiting for us.

When we explained what today had in store for us, Wendy's eyes lit up and she asked, "May I come with you?"

I smiled and nodded, watching her jump up and down excitedly while Carla just shook her head at her antics. We were led around by Lucy, who picked out different houses in Magnolia that I could pick but they didn't feel like home. She looked at a newspaper to check the house listings and saw one outside the city itself, judging from the picture it was huge. We all ran to a main thoroughfare that led to a gate that was locked. A man ran out of his house that overlooked the gate and came over to us.

"Are you looking at the house that I put an ad in the paper for?" he asked, seeming like a kind man.

"Why, yes we are," Lucy told him, giving him a smile. She waved her hand in my direction and said, "My friend here is looking for a place to live during her free times when she doesn't have a mission to do for the guild."

"Oh, you're all from Fairy Tail?" he asked excitedly. "I have a son that is a member of the guild! I'll knock the price in half for you!"

He grabbed the key from his pocket, one that was an ornate silver with a strange design that I couldn't get a good look at as he unlocked the gate, opening it for us and leading us down the path. It took maybe five minutes of our fast paced walked to reach a large house with marble pillars on a hill beside a lake. It looked like it could be a mansion and I immediately felt like this could definitely be a place to call home.

"I'll take it," I said immediately.

"Don't you want to take a look inside first?" the man asked in surprise.

"Why, is there something about the inside I should know about now?" I asked seriously, watching as the man smiled at me.

"No, it's just as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside."

"One question though before I buy it," I said as the thought creeped into my mind. "Why are you selling such a beautiful house?"

"It used to be my father's summer house, but he passed away last year and left it to me in his will," he told me. "We just can't afford the upkeep it requires to keep this place."

I nodded before grabbing the drawstring purse that was strapped a few inches above my right knee and pulled out enough money for the full price of the house. The man was gaping at me for a few seconds as I handed him the money. He protested the kindness, saying it was too much when he just wanted to help out someone from Fairy Tail, but I stopped him.

"The house is big enough that if you want to stay there while I'm gone on a mission or whatever you so choose to do, you can. I don't want to take the house away from you when it obviously means a lot to you and your family. Consider the money as rent for the year, that way you can still call the house that belonged to your father yours."

He looked as if he would cry tears of joy, but instead he thanked me and handed me a spare key to the gate that also unlocked the front door as well. We all left to head back to the guildhall to check the request board, Lucy mumbling something about her rent being due soon and needed some extra money. She paled and denied my offer to pay for her rent that month, saying she felt better about coming up with the money by herself than to accept charity from someone, even if that someone is a friend.

Once we were inside the guildhall, we saw Gray and Natsu arguing by a table about something, looking as if there would soon be a fight breaking out between the two of them. I sighed and wandered over to the request board, looking for one that would be relatively close to home when Makarov called me over.

"I have to go out of town for a week to a guild master's council meeting and I want for you and Mira to keep this place in good shape," the master told us when Mirajane walked over.

"Can do, sir!" Mira said cheerily before going back to cleaning something behind the counter.

"We've got it covered," I assured him as he hopped down from the counter and walked right out the door. "Well, that didn't take long."

"He does that whenever the council gets together," Mira told me. "He likes taking a brief reprieve from the craziness our guild to spend time with the other guild masters."

Before I could respond back, Wendy rushed up to me with Carla in her arms again. "Timara, I have something important to ask you!" she said loudly. "Will you train me to get stronger? I want to learn the long range attacks that you're good at as well!"

I smiled and said, "Alright, but you have to learn one thing first. It's the basics before you can move on to bigger and better things." I raised one of my hands before her and slowly so that she could catch it, I created a ball of shadows in the palm of my hand. She looked at it in awe and then gaped up at me. "All you have to do is make a ball of your magic in the palm of your hand. Don't push the magic into its form. You have to just feel it and coax it into a ball in your hand."

With her new task at hand, she ran to a table not far from where Natsu and Gray were fighting, catching the attention of the Fire Dragon Slayer who then tried to learn the same trick as Wendy. The both of them trying it had Gajeel suspicious enough so that he wandered over and joined them with the basic task of creating a ball of magic in their hand. I hopped up onto the counter where Makarov always sits and watched everyone going about their business. I watched Lucy go out for a request, a paper flapping in the breeze as she left with the snowman creature in her arms. I shook my head and closed my eyes after leaning back with my arms keeping me up. Tyger, who was sleeping on my lap, snorted in her sleep and I smiled. I was so happy to have this kitten in my life. She was a joy to be with, shaking up the monotony of my life when I had been all alone.

The sun was setting and everyone was getting geared up for a performance that someone was putting on. Mira handed me a plateful of food and a small bowl of milk as I woke Ty from her nap. She stretched out, digging her claws into my leg and making me cringe before she got up and drank the milk that was set out for her. I ate the other food before Ty could try to steal the rest, even though she was a baby she still tried to eat my food because it looked better to her. Gajeel got up on stage with a guitar and started to sing, making both my cat and me cover our ears.

"Mara, let's leave!" she cried.

I told Mira that we were going to head home for the night and she nodded sympathetically, saying that she'd put a stop to the caterwauling of Gajeel and his guitar in a few more minutes. I picked up my kitten and carried her outside at a run, both of us sighing in relief as the noise wasn't so ear-piercing outside. I made the shadows form wings on my back and jumped into the air, flying along until I saw the forest with the mansion like house in front of it. I pulled out the key with my free hand and when I landed in front of the door, I unlocked it and found the inside was just as gorgeous as the outside. The floor was made of marble and there was a large staircase leading up to the second floor, the top of the stairs had a huge stained glass window like one you'd find in a cathedral.

I was about to shut the door when I heard a caw from behind me. I looked back to see a crow, but something was very wrong with it. I heard Ty make a squeak as she hid behind my head as I saw that the crow was in fact dead, something keeping it alive just long enough for it to be here.

"My master has sent me to give you a message," the crow croaked, blood bubbling past its beak as it spoke. "He wishes for you to meet him at midnight in the center of the forest behind your house." With a squawk, it blew up in a spray of blood, the red liquid being sucked up by the ground within seconds. I knew what master the crow was referring to and I went over to the living room to the couch so that I could sleep for a while until midnight.

Tyger was fast asleep on the pillow above my head when I woke up, so I moved as slowly as I could to avoid waking her. I knew for a fact that I couldn't bring her along as of yet because I didn't know for sure how his powers would affect her. I left the house and formed the ethereal wings on my back before leaping into the air, my wing beats sending me high up above the trees. I knew that there would be a large dead spot to look for and that's where he would be waiting, so I flew on for about ten minutes and finally came upon the place in the woods where everything was dead and gone. I saw a black shape in the middle of the circle and dove down to it, landing gracefully a few feet away from him. He had black spiky hair, obsidian eyes, and a black robe with a white sash tied around his shoulder and waist.

He looked up, his sad expression that I was always used to shifting to one of vague happiness as he saw me. "It's good to see you again after so long, Timara," he said, giving me a wan smile.

"And it's good to see you as well, Zeref," I told him simply.

He tilted his head to the side, now a puzzled expression pass briefly across his face. "Why does it seem as if you're not telling the truth when you say that?"

I sighed. "It's not what you think. I just don't think it is a good idea for you to be so close to Magnolia and Fairy Tail, what with you having Death Magic and all."

The sad look I had known for so long made an appearance again and he looked down. "Is it so bad that I just wanted to see the only person that is my best friend, the only one who can withstand my Death Magic without so much as a scratch?"

"Is it because I'm so close to the shadows already being a Shadow Dragon Slayer that Death Magic doesn't affect me?" I asked him, slightly changing the subject.

"I guess so. I haven't met anyone else with Shadow Magic before."

"I only ask in case my kitten shows up. I don't want for you to let the Death Magic out by accident and she dies. She had a type of Shadow Magic as well."

"You have an Exceed partner?" he asked, his mood turning positive again. I had forgotten how moody Zeref was. "I think she should be ok. You haven't died on me yet."

"I don't mean to be rude to you, but why are you here exactly?" I asked him softly. "It's unlike you to stray from Tenrou Island where you can stay isolated for almost all year long."

"No, I can understand why you ask," he said. "I'd wonder the same thing if I was you. For some reason, I seem to find myself in a bit of a predicament. Something is hunting me and I don't know who else to turn to."

"Who is chasing after you?" I asked him, feeling a bit worried.

"I don't know," he said pensively. "I just sensed something… dark while on the island. Something that was much darker than me. And it just kept getting closer and closer. I thought about letting it kill me until I realized it was hunting me down to use me for its evil deeds. I'm done being someone's puppet for them to commit sins. I just want to atone for mine and die in peace. Speaking of that, is Natsu—"

"No," I cut him off. "He knows the value of a life as well and will not kill you, no matter how much begging you decide to employ on him. Trust me, I know. He's stubborn."

"I wish that you would kill me," he whispered. "You're the only one right now that's strong enough to do so."

"And you know the answer to that as well," I told him vehemently, making him look up in surprise. "I've already had to watch my 'brother' kill the dragon that was a father to me. Don't make me have to watch you die, too."

"But why won't you put me out of my misery?" he asked, his eyes bright with unshed tears.

"Believe it or not, I consider you to be my friend. You saved my life back at Tenrou Island during the S-Class Trials."

My mind was already drifting back to that day of the trial. That was the year that Makarov decided to shake things up by choosing slightly easier tasks but not allowing partners to help out. I was the youngest person ever to be selected for the trials and my friends cheered for me as we left for Hargeon Port. After we got there, we took a ship all the way to the island. I survived the first task easily, although I was upset since I had taken the Serenity Route unknowingly. Next was to find a sapphire orb in a six hour time limit. I ran around, searching for it when I finally found the orb on a mini island in the middle of a pond. I was about to swim to it when I was knocked to the ground by a snarling furry creature. I screamed and looked up to see a wolf growling down at me. I hit it with a fist that erupted from the shadows, batting it off of me just in time to see a large pack of wolves running down a hill to us. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to fight them all off, but created a mini army of shadow demons that attacked the wolves. It wasn't long before a good chunk of the wolves broke off and away from the rest of the pack straight after me. I heard a noise as I saw a man jump down in front of me and use a strange magic I had never seen before. It hit the wolves and expanded all around us until it formed a large dome surrounding us, making them all drop dead to the grass as my shadow demons disappeared into the air. My savior turned around, a deeply worried look on his face as he looked at me, then the strangest expression that almost looked like confusion passed across his eyes.

"You're still alive," he said, the confusion morphing into surprise. "How…?" He looked down at the shadows that were shuddering beneath him at my agitated state, then back at me. "Shadow Magic?"

"I'm a Shadow Dragon Slayer," I told him, feeling a bit suspicious as I looked up at him.

His surprise intensified as he looked down at me and tears began to fall down his cheeks, his body shuddering with his cries as he covered his eyes with his hands. He sank to his knees and I didn't know what else to do, so I walked over to him and hugged the strange man. He gasped as if he hadn't felt human contact before, but soon hugged me back. His tears fell down onto his chest and I wiped the tears away from his cheeks, watching as he soon smiled a little at me.

"For a little girl, you sure are strong and brave to face down those wolves like that," he said, pulling away to stand up once more. "I want you to get stronger so that one day you can come back and kill me."

I gawked at him and cried out, "No! I've killed enough! I vowed never to kill again, not even in self-defense!"

"You've had to kill before?" he asked, gazing at me in surprise again. I told him the long story of my dark beginnings and how I didn't even know my own name. I even told him about how Skiadrum saved my life and named me Timara Wyvernia. He looked beyond outraged at my story but still nodded as he listened. "I'm deeply sorry that you ever had to go through anything like that. I'm glad that your attackers are dead or I would hunt them down myself."

"It's fine," I told him. "It's been a long time and I've made my peace with that turn of events."

"You are wise beyond your years," the man said.

He stayed by me for the longest time throughout my trial, watching in the shadows until finally I was the last one and managed to win the title of S-Class Wizard. I shook my head and looked at the same man in front of me now. He had his head tilted to the side as he looked at me quizzically.

"Are you alright?" he asked me. "You kind of zoned out there."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "So what's your plan?"

"My plan?"

"What are you going to do about whatever is hunting you?"

"Well, I was just stopping by for a little while before finding someplace further away to hide," he said. "I just wanted to see how you're doing now that you're older. You haven't been in trouble anymore, have you?"

"My guild now knows that I am a Dragon Slayer. They didn't react as badly as I had feared as a child."

"Oh, Timara, that's great news!" he yelled, grabbing me quickly and hugging me. He was surprisingly warm for being so close with death itself and I realized that I hadn't been used to human contact in a while either. I hugged him back before he held me away from him at an arm's length. "Are you ok with them knowing?"

"Zeref, you keep bouncing back and forth emotionally and it's giving me whiplash."

"Oh, I'm sorry…" He moved away from me and looked away, sadness pouring out of him and he soon hunched over in pain as a large cloud that felt cold like death surrounded him. I sighed and formed a barrier around him out of my shadows a few seconds before his body released the Death Magic into the air, containing the magic within it until it finally dissipated. I let go of the barrier as he looked over at me in surprise. "How did you do that?"

"Your magic never did work on me," I explained. "I figured that my Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic somehow nullified the Death Magic, so I had a hunch that maybe I could keep it contained temporarily."

"Timara, thank you!" he shouted, grabbing me for another hug that had the breath escaping my lungs and he kissed my cheek to show his appreciation. I knew I had to be blushing, but I didn't let him see so I turned away from him slightly.

"Do you have someplace to stay before you leave?"

"I thought about staying here within this clearing since I've already destroyed this part of it," he said calmly and I knew full well that he'd actually do it, too.

"No," I said, watching as he looked puzzled by my answer. Before he could ask me why, I said, "You're going to stay at my place until you feel up to leaving. I refuse to allow a friend to stay outside when I can do this one little thing for him."

"Again, thank you so much, Timara," he said, giving me a smile full of happiness.

Even though I could create a horse or some other creature to carry us back to my mansion, Zeref insisted that we enjoy the night and walk back. He seemed happy just to be with another human for the first time in forever and I was content to be with him. Even though the man was known as The Black Wizard or The Killing Mage, he was actually quite kind and considerate. I knew that it was because he remembered his sins against the human race and wanted to atone to them in any way he could, but there was still a side of him that he had let me see so many years ago that most people never had the chance to know. He was a good friend of mine since that day and I couldn't let any friendship go to waste.

It took a while to get back to the house, so we talked briefly about how he'd been before he felt the dark presence that was after him. He said that he felt as if he was starting to get a better grasp on his Death Magic, but it was still a long shot at best before he could keep it under control. Through the now thinning tree line, the mansion loomed above us and he got his first glimpse of where I now lived. He looked down at the lake as we emerged from the trees and then looked back to me.

"I always imagined you living in a place like this," he said with a grin. "I'm glad that I was right for once."

As we approached my door, I happened to look over at a hill farther away from the one that my mansion was settled on. I could have sworn that I could see a dark figure standing there, watching us from afar. I squinted my eyes to look closer at it, blinking just before using my enhanced vision to really assess the person watching when I saw that it had disappeared. I shook my head but opened the door for Zeref so that we could go inside and settle down for the rest of the night. I heard padding footsteps approach after I had shut the door and saw a sleepy looking kitten appear within sight, the one wing that wasn't in a splint hanging down as if it was too heavy while she was tired.

"Mara, why'd you go outside?" she asked me before she finally took notice of the man beside me. "Who's he?"

"Ty, this is my friend, Zeref," I explained to her as a glimmer of recognition flashed upon her face. She remembered him from the stories I used to tell about my past. "Zeref, this little Exceed is Tyger and she is my partner."

"Nice to meet you, Tyger," Zeref said, bowing low for the little kitten, who giggled at his behavior.

"Hi, Ref," she said simply before walking back to the living room where she no doubt would be going back to sleep.

"Ref?" he asked curiously before gazing at me.

"She's still just a baby," I told him. "When I found her, the only thing she would say was 'Mara' because she couldn't completely say my name yet."

I gave him the short version of the story behind how I found her and he smiled sadly. I yawned a bit and decided that it was time for me to get back to sleep now that Zeref was back. I went back to the couch in the living room, telling him at the same time that he could pick whichever room he wanted to be his and sleep there, but he instead followed me into the room and took a chair that faced the couch. I grabbed my little kitten and rested her on my chest, where she immediately curled up and fell back asleep. I lay my head back on the pillow, looking over at Zeref to see that he was watching me with a quiet interest before I turned my head over to the back of the couch and closed my eyes to immediately fall asleep.


	3. Glimpse of a Dark Future

**Hello again! I meant to put a bit of an Author's Note up here again with this chapter, but I was half asleep when I posted it and didn't realize until this morning that I had completely forgotten about it! Sorry! Got a bit carried away with how excited I was to finish it! Thank you to everyone who followed/likes it enough to add it as a favorite! It was greatly appreciated! Back to the story and enjoy!  
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**Chapter 3: Glimpse of a Dark Future**

I yawned as I felt Tyger stir and was about to begin the process of waking me up by biting me when I stopped her. I grabbed her and placed her on my shoulder once I had sat up. I looked over at Zeref and saw that he was sleeping peacefully, his hair hanging over his eyes and seeming a little less worse for wear. I walked over and grabbed a piece of paper, writing on it that I was at the guildhall and would be back at sunset. I also wrote that I had placed Shadow Magic all throughout the house that acted both as a barrier and a defense system in case that the house was attacked. The magic spread throughout the house would keep his Death Magic from destroying the place and the outside world. When I left the room, I gave him one last look before walking out of the house and locking the door behind me. I grew wings again and flew back to the guildhall, Ty squealing excitedly as we neared the towering guildhall and landing in the courtyard.

With every step I took to the doors, the wings of darkness vaporized into thin air as I made the doors open with a flick of my wrist and the shadowy arms opened them for me. I walked inside to see everyone was going about their daily business, all accept for Natsu. He sat on top of one of the tables, his feet on the bench in front of him and watching me closely. I watched as he got up and made his way over to me, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me over to the wall furthest away from anyone else. He looked so serious as he gazed at me, his dark eyes glimmering with some strange emotion.

"There's something I would like to know," he said softly.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"Who was that person you were with last night and why were there flashing lights in the forest behind your house?"

"First of all," I said quietly, feeling quite angry at him all of a sudden, "that's really none of your business but if you must know, it was a dear friend of mine. Why were you spying on me?"

"My house is on the hill next to yours and I happened to hear strange noises outside. So I went out there to see weird lights, then later saw you show up with some guy. I didn't mean to spy or anything, I was just hoping that you weren't being blackmailed or something crazy like that."

"Thanks for the concern, Natsu, but I'm a Dragon Slayer just like you and I think I can take care of myself," I told him calmly.

"You'll let me know if you ever need help, right?" he asked me, the look in his eyes suggested that he actually meant it.

"Of course," I said simply. I patted him on the shoulder in a friendly way, knowing that he must have a puzzled look on his face as he watched me make my way over to the bar and hop up onto the counter.

"Timara!" I heard Wendy call for me and saw her run from the doors straight to me. "I need help!"

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"I _still_ can't make that ball of magic yet!" she told me, setting Carla onto the counter and pulling herself up onto one of the barstools. "Do you have any tricks to do it?"

"I already told you," I laughed softly. "It just takes practice is all. Don't force it, just feel it."

"But it's so hard!" she said, feeling dejected.

"Sometimes, the simplest things are hard," I told her, catching Tyger when she leaned over my shoulder too far and fell. "It may take some time, but I'm certain that you can do this. It's just one of those things that can't be taught by another person how exactly to do it."

"Can you tell me how you did it?"

"It took me a very long time to get it down. I was an angry child since I could remember. I probably wouldn't be if those men hadn't attacked me all those years ago. But creating a ball of magic seemed out of my reach because I kept trying to force it. Skiadrum told me that I would never get it if I didn't calm down. He taught me to create a space of peace and tranquility in my mind to get as calm as possible, then I could create the ball within seconds as easy as could be."

"A space of peace?" she whispered to herself before asking, "What was yours?"

"Being on top of the tallest mountain, surrounded by snow and the night sky. That was what I chose back then as a child. It's different now."

She nodded, then wandered off to another table with Carla flying after her. I smiled and set down Tyger on the counter so I could watch her walk around. I watched as she sat there and closed her eyes to concentrate on her thoughts. Natsu and Gajeel walked over to her as she held out her hands with her palms facing upwards, her face relaxing and a sky blue ball of light formed in her hands as a sudden breeze whipped her hair around. She opened her eyes and grinned at me, Natsu and Gajeel looking envious. They asked her how she did it and she gave the same explanation to them as I had given to her. Gajeel had it down a few minutes later as he meditated like Wendy had, a metallic green ball with what looked like shards of silver mingling within it in his hand. Natsu, for some reason, wasn't able to create it and he looked furious. He stormed off, muttering something under his breath when Gray walked closer and the two of them immediately got into a fight. I sighed and made a barrier of shadow to separate them, not wanting Makarov to come back to a destroyed guildhall.

Tyger climbed up my arm and sat on my shoulder so that she could whisper in my ear, "How's Ref doing?"

"I'm sure he's fine," I whispered back. "There's plenty of food already in the house thanks to the man who owned the place previously and as long as he stays inside, he'll be protected."

"Won't he be lonely?" she asked sadly.

"He used to be alone on Tenrou Island for a couple centuries," I explained, trying not to laugh. "I think he can wait until sunset and be ok."

For the rest of the day, I had to teach Natsu how to create a ball of magic while the other two Dragon Slayers perfected the technique. Just before nightfall, Natsu managed to get the hang of it, forming a ball of fire that had a golden center. He looked so excited and thanked me, hugging me quickly before running out of the hall. I shook my head and picked up Tyger, who was chasing a shadow bunny around. She batted her tiny paws at me playfully, flapping the one wing as hard as she could and staying airborne for a lot longer than she had before. I caught her and carried her outside, then formed my wings and flew off to my mansion on the outskirts of the woods. I saw the lights were on and heard clinking noises inside, making the both of us curious as we quickly made our way inside to the noises that were coming from the dining room. I walked inside to see Zeref standing beside the dining room table proudly and the table was completely decked out in food enough for two. I was in shock as I looked at it all and then looked up at his beaming face.

"I figured you deserved someone taking care of you for once and this was the least I could do for you since you took me in," he told me, his eyes sparkling. He was in front of me before I could fully realize it, hugging me as tight as he could and then letting go before Ty could scratch him for squishing her. He walked over to one of the chairs and pulled it out for me, waiting for me to sit down before pushing it closer to the table and then sitting down in the chair next to mine. I set Tyger down on the table next to a small plate that was her size and she mewed in thanks as we put soft food like mashed potatoes on the plate for her to eat. I had a little bit of everything, which was mashed potatoes, ham, corn on the cob, peas, and bread rolls. Zeref did the same, only in larger quantities. He ate everything that was left and looked content after we had finished eating. "Now, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"What is it?" I asked curiously, picking up a sleepy kitten and holding her so that she could fall asleep in my arms.

"Do you think it's a good idea for me to leave and hide somewhere farther away from here?" he asked me uncertainly. "I'm worried about you."

"You don't need to be worried about me, Zeref," I told him calmly. "I'm an S-Class Wizard and easily the strongest in the guild besides the master."

"But what if the thing that's hunting me comes after you because it figured out that I was here? It's very strong!"

"Do I need to fight you to prove that I'll be ok?" I asked with a small laugh, reaching over to clasp his hand in mine. A faint flush appeared on his cheeks and he held my hand a little tighter. "I swear to you, I can hold my own in battle and even then I have all of Fairy Tail to back me up if the need arises."

"No need to fight me," he said quickly. "I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

"Are you trying to say that you could?" I challenged with a contagious smile that had him grinning back. "Anyway, I think it's time for us to head to bed for the night. You should pick a room to stay in."

I slipped my hand from his and started to carry plates back to the kitchen with one hand with Zeref assisting me in the endeavor. It didn't take long with his help and we were walking up the stairs to the second floor.

"Which wing of the house would you prefer, the west wing or the east wing?" I asked him.

"Which wing are you staying in?"

"East wing."

"Then that's the one I choose as well," he said, so I led him along to the right that held a long corridor with rooms on either side. My room was the biggest on the very end of the hallway and he chose the one across from mine, giving me yet another quick hug before he practically ran to his room. I shook my head and walked to my door, opening it and stepping inside.

My room was the master suite, windows that looked out over Magnolia and the lake. I had a large bed with a canopy, all of the blankets were royal blue, which was my favorite color. There was a door on the far end of the room that led to an en suite bathroom and also a large dresser next to a mirror. I walked over to the bed, crawling under the blankets and setting Tyger down next to me with her head propped on the pillow. She snuffled in her sleep and curled up against my neck. I smiled as I pulled the comforters up over my shoulders and fell asleep with her fuzzy arm thrown lightly against my throat.

There was a crash in the great hall of the mansion and I was awake with a start, Tyger hissing as her fur stood up on end and she jumped up onto my shoulder. I threw the blankets off of me and got out of bed, running out of the room to see Zeref doing the same. I was about to run off after the noise, but Zeref grabbed me and pulled me back, accidentally making me bump into his chest.

"I don't want you going," he said seriously, his expression determined as he gazed at me. "It could be dangerous."

I heard a scream from the main hall and rolled my eyes at him. "I have the house warded against attacks. It will be ok." I turned around and walked down the hall to the stairs with Zeref following closely behind me, sliding his fingers between mine in case he needed to pull me away from whatever danger he feared could be out there. Once we went down the stairs and the large diamond chandelier couldn't block our line of sight, we saw two dark figures, one human sized and one tiny, hanging from upside down from a shadowy rope trap. I flipped on the lights to see Natsu and Happy, dangling from the ropes that were tied to their ankles.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Happy called out to me, his wings hanging down prone from his body.

I tried to hide Zeref from behind my back but he walked out to look at who it was, giving my hand a comforting squeeze as he finally gaped openly at the two of them. "Who's he?" Natsu asked suspiciously.

"How about you answer my questions first?" I said to him as Tyger hissed softly, sensing my simmering anger. "Why'd you break into my house?"

"I wouldn't call it breaking in. I just wanted to make sure that you're ok," he told me. "Now, can you let us down?"

"Natsu…" Zeref whispered and I saw hope shimmering in his eyes as tears started to slide down his cheeks.

I yanked him back and he seemed to snap out of it, looking over at me with that hope still present. "Timara, I need to ask him if—"

"Don't you dare," I growled at him before turning back to Natsu. "Why in the world did you want to check up on me?"

"Because you've been acting fidgety all day and I didn't know if you were actually telling the truth about the person at your house being a friend," he told me. "So who is he?"

I sighed and looked over to Zeref, who nodded once for his approval. "His name is Zeref. I've known him since I became an S-Class Wizard. He came to visit since he was just passing through."

Zeref frowned a little but Natsu didn't see it as he nodded, then both he and Happy started squirming as the blood rushing to their heads began to hurt them. With a snap of my fingers, they fell to the ground in a heap before bouncing energetically to their feet. They both immediately walked into the living room and I followed them to watch as they plopped down onto the couch, passing out as soon as they landed on the cushions. I sighed again and walked back into the main hall where Zeref was waiting.

"I need to ask him," was all he said.

"No, you're not going to. He won't do it either way, so stop thinking that someone is going to kill you."

"Timara…" he sighed my name.

"No," I said again before heading back to the stairs without looking back at him. I heard his footsteps as he chased after me and I hurried to get back to my room. I made it to the door and got inside to shut it as fast as I could, hearing him sigh outside the door before going to his room. I felt my body shake with some unknown emotion and Ty rubbed her cheek against mine comfortingly, getting the shakes to stop soon after.

"Mara, why does he want to die?" she asked me sadly. "He's so nice."

"He thinks that his death will make up for all of the bad things he's done in the past," I explained to her as I walked back to bed and yawned. "He thinks it's atoning for his sins."

"That's sad," Ty whispered as we both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The first thing I noticed was that it was pitch black. I tried to move my hand in front of my face but I couldn't see a thing or even tell that I had moved anything at all. It was like being in a sensory deprivation tank that Dark Guilds would occasionally like to use to torture people. The only thing I could feel was a pressure being exerted on my body, one that I could feel was dark to its core.

_You have something I want._

I felt more than heard the voice as it echoed throughout the space of darkness. I felt the air shudder around me as the pressure increased. It was beginning to get painful, my organs starting to squeeze together. I wasn't sure how, but the darkness got even worse as I felt a shudder go through the entirety of my soul.

_You're hiding him from me._

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said calmly even though the pressure was bothering me.

_That is a lie. You're holding The Black Wizard under your roof._

"I fail to see how that's any of your business."

_You have a death wish, girl. I think you should hold your tongue._

"How about you tell me who you are," I said, stifling a whimper.

_You are too insignificant to know my name. It's beneath me to tell you._

"Now you listen here," I growled, my magic leaking out in my rage and making the shadows ripple like a pond when a stone is dropped into its watery depths. "You're seriously underestimating me and that will be your final mistake when I take you down. If you so much as harm one hair on his head, I will destroy you and your name from the face of the earth."

It is surprising that you can affect the darkness like this. It should be impossible from one of your stature.

"I am an S-Class Wizard of Fairy Tail, the strongest member under Master Makarov and a Shadow Dragon Slayer. My magic knows no bounds so don't force me to test them on you."

I heard a chuckle from the darkness before my consciousness started to fade from the dream. _A Shadow Dragon Slayer from Fairy Tail, eh? That's almost as good as a wizard who knows Death Magic. Maybe I'll come there to collect the whole set._

* * *

I woke up with a shudder, still feeling the darkness from the dream clinging to my mind and soul. I looked up at the window to see that the sun was about to rise and knew it was time to get ready for the new day. I had a feeling that today the other Dragon Slayers would want to learn something new from me, especially Wendy, so I got out clothes for training purposes. I pulled a black halter top that would show off the Fairy Tail mark on my back and navy blue shorts, the top itself revealing a small strip of skin on my stomach occasionally. I picked up Ty and carried her since she was still sleeping, walking to the door and stepping out to see Zeref.

"You were in the dream last night," he said with a blank look on his face. "You antagonized him."

"I don't like threats," I told him, walking in the direction of the stairs when he grabbed me by the arm and turned me back around to face him.

"You don't know what you just did," he said in disbelief. "Even if I leave, he's going to come after you."

"And I will be waiting for him," I said, trying to pull my arm free but his grip was tight.

"You don't get it!" he whined and I could see the fear swimming in his eyes. "I have to stay here and protect you from him!"

"No, you're going to leave and go as far as you can to hide. In the dream, he said that he was going to collect the whole set. You'd be the final piece and we can at least buy you some time to get away from him."

The fear got a lot worse as he let go of my arm. "So that's what this is about. You shifted his focus onto yourself on purpose. You think I'll just leave now after what you just said? I'm staying in Magnolia!"

He stormed off to his room, went inside of it, then slammed the door shut behind him. I sighed as Tyger jolted awake at the noise from the door and looked up at me. I just shook my head and walked to the stairs, running down them to check the living room for guests. I saw Natsu and Happy were both awake and waiting for me, sitting patiently on the couch and then standing when we came into sight.

"Were you just having an argument with your friend?" Happy asked me.

"Unfortunately, yes I was."

"What were you two arguing about?" Natsu asked me.

"A rash decision on my part," I said, then beckoned them to follow me. "Come on, guys, time to head back to the guild."

Since I was with Natsu, I decided against flying and instead walked with him along the path to the gate. We stayed silent for the longest time, just watching as Happy formed his wings and flew around our heads lazily. He picked up Tyger and placed her on his back as he flew, Ty squeaking in joy and I knew that she was hoping for the day where she could do the same.

"What decision is your friend unhappy about?" Natsu asked suddenly.

"One that could affect my safety," I said simply.

"Why is it that you're so vague when I ask you about things?"

I shook my head slightly and watched the two cats on the path ahead of us. "I didn't realize that I was. I don't know, I have had trouble trusting people since the very beginning."

"But why? We're all very dependable in Fairy Tail," he told me. "We wouldn't betray your trust because that's just not who we are."

"I don't trust people because the very first memory I have is of a group of men attacking me and brutally beating me to the edge of death for having magic similar to the dragon that lived up on the mountain," I said quietly, making him look up at me in surprise. "I don't remember anything else before that either because they destroyed any happy memories I may have had previously with that attack."

"Timara, I'm sorry for what happened to you all those years ago," he said quietly. "But you have to know that we would never do anything like that to you or let anyone do that to you ever again."

"I do know that," I said, placing my hand over my eyes to block the sun's blinding rays to see the gate was steadily getting closer. "It's just difficult sometimes to remember that I have nothing to fear in the guild. I know that everyone is extremely supportive and I appreciate it."

He nodded and then asked, "So are you going to tell me without vagueness as to what you were arguing with your friend about?"

"Right now, no," I said softly. "It's not the time or place to discuss this. Not only that, but the situation hasn't occurred yet to cause so much worry. I swear to you that when the time comes, I will let you know and tell you about this."

"Ok, Timara," he said and then ignored me for the rest of the walk to the gate.

I pulled out my keys and unlocked the gate to let us pass through, waving at the kind man who sold me the mansion and the shooing the cats along so that we could make our way to the guild. The walk there was peaceful enough until Natsu began to ask about what was next for training with long range attacks. I told him that he'd just have to wait and see like the other two would. We finally made our way across the courtyard and into the guildhall, only to be ambushed by Wendy, Gajeel, and their cats. They demanded to be taught more and I laughed as I walked over to the counter where Mirajane was wiping the counter. I checked in with her and told her that we would be back for lunch. She grinned and waved me away with her towel, so I ran back to the three Dragon Slayers and out to the courtyard again. Happy handed me Tyger and I let her curl up in my arms for a quick nap as I ran past the main gates and to the main thoroughfare with the other Dragon Slayers and cats trailing behind me at a fast clip.

I took them all the way to the park with the cherry blossom trees and then whipped around with a grin. "Alright, first things first," I said, "I want you all to create that ball of magic for me! Quickly now!"

The cats, Pantherlily kindly taking Tyger with them so I could teach the Dragon Slayers a thing or two, flew off to a picnic table to watch the events unfold. I watched as the three of them created the ball of magic almost instantaneously, a smile of pride flashing over their faces before they controlled their emotion. I knew that this was something they had down to a science and I finally understood how the dragons training us all must have felt. They got to watch with pride as their students flourished under their tutelage and it was amazing to observe.

"Good job, you three!" I said proudly. "Now, I know you want to learn attacks first, but that's not how I learned things. Before you learn how to destroy, you must learn how to create. So we're going to start with creation lessons and start off simple. How about you all try to morph that ball of magic into… oh, how about a flower of your choice?"

I heard grumbling from Natsu and Gajeel, but that was to be expected since they were all about the destruction aspect of magic itself, whereas Wendy was still new to things and had an open mind going in. She had an excited glimmer in her eyes as she closed her eyes and concentrated. I watched as the ball of air shivered, but still stayed a sphere. Her brow wrinkled in frustration and she tried again as the boys tried to do the same. After about a half an hour of their attempts at morphing the ball of magic, they grumbled unhappily at their lack of success and asked for a demonstration.

In my imagination, I pictured my favorite flower, a lily, and after creating a ball of magic I felt the lily in my hand and remembered every detail about them as it slowly formed before their eyes, turning dark blue and violet in my shadows. They all gasped in surprise as I held it in my hand, walking over to the cats and giving it to them. Carla took it with a small smile, sniffing it and making a noise of pleasure at its scent.

"This is what you have to do to create the flower out of the ball," I said to them. "You remember details about that flower, any kind of detail at all. It could be what it looked like, what color it was, how the petals felt, what it smelled like, etcetera. So long as you feel it in your heart, mind, and soul, it will appear for you like… well, like magic." I grinned excitedly and waited for them to try again.

It didn't take very long before they managed to get the hang of it. Wendy picked the rose, making it look almost as if it were made from crystal. Next was Gajeel to make his flower and his was a tulip, his magic making the flower look metallic and silver. Natsu seemed to have the hardest time creating his flower. We soon realized that he couldn't come up with a flower to use, so Wendy had to lead him around the park before they found a daffodil near one of the cherry blossom trees. The next problem he had with it was that he couldn't morph the ball of magic into the daffodil itself, so the other two Dragon Slayers had to make him feel, smell, and hold the daffodil to a certain degree before letting him try again. I felt like laughing but covered my mouth with my hand so that he couldn't see me and get discouraged. Once he made a mental image of the daffodil and all its details, it wasn't long before he finally managed to morph it into the flower, making it look bright red with flames and a golden center just before the stem.

I figured that this lesson was enough for the day, knowing that Natsu was going to be the challenging one with creation lessons because he was way too good at destroying things. We headed back to the guildhall, where all three of them celebrated their latest accomplishment and I talked with Mira and Lucy for the rest of the afternoon. At nightfall, I took Ty and left the hall itself, growing my wings and flying back to the mansion relatively quick. I opened up the door and it was deathly quiet within, so I knew that Zeref must still be sulking around in his room after our argument. I thankfully already had dinner with Mira and Lucy, so I headed up to my room with Ty and we crawled into bed just to fall asleep the moment our heads hit the pillow.


	4. Lessons in Creation

**Hello to all! I meant to have this chapter posted yesterday, but by golly I had difficulties with how I wanted to word things. A big thank you to my buddy _sapphire dragon slayer alex_, who posted a review and we came up with some ideas for the story later on. I think those will be an interesting addition that could be a great help when the time comes! This chapter has a bit of a 4th of July theme to it later on because, let's face it, I love this holiday for one reason! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Lessons in Creation**

I had a difficult time waking up the next morning for I was warm and comfortable, but there was an incessant tapping noise that kept dragging me into consciousness. I heard Tyger mew in protest, snuggling against my chest where she must have moved during the night without me noticing. The tapping started up again and started the hard process of opening my eyes to slits for now, looking over towards the window to see a small dark shape tapping its sharp nose into the glass repeatedly. I forced my eyes open entirely and picked up Ty to set her down on the pillow for now, then got out of bed and walked over to the window. Now that my eyes weren't as blurry as before, I could see that it was a miniature version of Skiadrum sitting on the windowsill, sitting back on its haunches and giving me the same disapproving stare with those crimson eyes that he always used to do. There was only one other person who knew exactly what Skiadrum looked like in that much detail and that would have to have been my foster brother. I opened up the window, picking up the dragon and carrying it over to my desk where I set it down carefully. I pulled out the chair and sat down before it, waiting patiently for it to speak.

"Hello, sister," it said softly, the dragon lying down and curling its tail gracefully around its sharp talons while it placed its wings flat against its spine.

"Hello, Rogue," I said, my voice close to a growl. "What is it that you want now?"

"Is that the way you treat your own brother now?" he asked, seeming surprised at my hostility.

"Technically, you're not my brother, you're just the boy that our father picked up before he took me in. We're not even related by blood."

"Wait, are you still angry about me killing Skiadrum?" he asked quietly. "You know he asked me to do it. He said that in order for me to become a real Dragon Slayer, I needed to kill a dragon and since he was dying anyway that I would be doing him a favor."

"So I'm not a real Dragon Slayer just because I never killed a dragon before?" I hissed.

"You know that's not what I—" he tried to say before I cut him off.

"Why don't you just leave me alone for another decade? Then I won't have to deal with you anymore. It's like you don't even realize why I've left you and been gone for all these years."

"That's because I don't know!" he yelled and I heard Tyger stir, but then Rogue sighed. "Listen, I didn't create this dragon just to argue with you, which you should have noticed that I _can_ create shadows like yours. I'm just not as good at is as you are."

"That's great, it took you ten years for you to create an apology dragon. Good for you. So what do you want?"

"I want you to come to Sabertooth," he said simply.

"Out of the question," I told him. "I am an S-Class Wizard of Fairy Tail. You'd have to kill me and drag my corpse to your guild before I ever step foot there to be a member."

"You can keep your crappy guild. I just want you to visit for a few days. There are some things I need to discuss with you of the utmost importance. Before you ask, no I will not just tell you now through the dragon because this is just something you discuss face to face."

"I don't even know where your guild is aside from somewhere within Fiore!" I exclaimed. "And yet you want me to somehow make my way over there?"

"Just head northwest until you reach a small town in the middle of a forest," he told me. "I'll wait for you there."

"That's great and all, but I can't leave right now. I was put in charge with another S-Class Wizard to keep an eye on the guild while our master is away at a meeting with the others."

"Oh, you're right," he mumbled to himself as the dragon stretched its wings. "I had forgotten about that. Alright, once they get back, then you can leave for the town in the forest where I will be waiting. I'll send another dragon in a few days once the guild masters' meeting is over. Goodbye until then, Timara!"

Before I could say anything else to Rogue, the dragon disintegrated into thin air and took my only mode of conversation with it. I cursed my luck to have ever been paired up with him to learn Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic from Skiadrum and went over to the bed to grab Tyger before we left the room. I closed my door and turned around to see Zeref waiting for me again, looking a bit sheepish and I had a feeling that he had listened in on the conversation I had with my brother.

"So, what was your favorite part of that conversation you eavesdropped on?" I asked, giving him a glare and he looked down at his feet.

"I swear, I didn't mean to listen in," he said meekly. "But are you seriously going to visit with him at a time like this?"

"I believe so," I told him. "I just want to be rid of him and this seems like the only way to have it done the quickest."

"Are you really so keen on never having anything to do with your brother again? Didn't you even have a few good memories with him before Skiadrum's death?"

I felt my thoughts drift back to the past and I knew Zeref said that on purpose to get me to remember. I went back to when I first met him, back as Skiadrum had brought me to his lair and I saw a boy a year older than me come out from hiding behind a large stalagmite. He seemed nonthreatening enough, but my body reacted almost instantaneously as I cowered behind Skiadrum's large front leg. Not even registering what I had done, the demons that fought the men appeared in front of my hiding spot and stood unnaturally still, protecting me from any hint of danger.

"What's wrong with her?" the boy asked curiously, tilting his head to the side as he assessed the shadow demons and me.

"I just found her being attacked by a group of villagers on the north face of the mountain," Skiadrum rumbled in response. "They were trying to kill her since she exhibited the ability to use magic and they were afraid of her. Now, she has no memory of her life before the attack and doesn't even remember her own name. So I saved her and I'm taking her in like I did with you."

For some reason, I saw a glimmer of recognition cross his eyes for a brief second before it was suppressed, so I figured that I had imagined it and crouched as low as I could to stay within the shadows. The boy walked closer to me as slow as he could, keeping his hands up where I could see them so he could show that he wasn't dangerous.

"What's your name?" he asked me quietly, stopping a few feet away when the demons growled at him.

"… Timara Wyvernia," I whispered, slowly standing and peeking my head out from behind Skiadrum's leg.

"Well, Timara, my name is Rogue Cheney," he told me with a small smile. "Why don't you come with me and I'll show you around?"

I hesitated for a minute before I made up my mind and walked out as carefully as a deer. The demons disappeared and I made my way over to him, extending his hand out to me and I took it hesitantly. At a slow clip, he led me further back into the cave where most of the stalagmites and stalactites were cleared away to form the entryway to a smaller cave that was where Rogue slept. He pulled out an extra mat, pillows, and blankets for me and without saying a word to him, I curled up and fell asleep.

The few other happy memories I had with Rogue were after training with our dragon and we had days of rest. I pulled myself free from the past and back to the present to see a worried looking Zeref. I was about to say something to him when I heard a banging on the door. I had a feeling I knew exactly who was making the noise and ran down the hallway to the stairs, taking the steps two at a time and making Tyger yowl excitedly as I finally made it to the front door. I quickly whipped it open to see a grinning Natsu with Happy hovering over his shoulder.

"Hiya, Timara!" Natsu said to me, then looked over my head to wave at someone. "Hiya to you, Zeref!"

"Good morning, Natsu," I heard Zeref call down to him from the top of the stairs. "Are you both heading to the guild so early?"

"Of course!" Natsu said brightly. "Timara is teaching us long range magic and it's actually interesting!"

"Hey, watch it!" I grumbled, smacking him in the chest with the back of my hand and making him chuckle. "Don't let him kid you, Zeref, he's actually terrible at it so far. Too used to close combat, I'd say."

Zeref looked rather confused at our behavior, but soon snapped out of it when Natsu asked, "So, do you want to come take a look at Fairy Tail?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I will have to decline," Zeref told him and I inwardly sighed in relief. "My magic is dangerous when I'm around large amounts of people."

"I'm sorry for that, but we should be going now. Timara has to show us some more of her tricks for us to learn. See ya later, Zeref!" Natsu called to him as he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the door, barely giving me any time to lock it on the way out. Happy took Tyger from me and flew her around on his shoulders again like yesterday so that Natsu could talk with me. "You're probably wondering why it is I showed up at your doorstep this morning."

"It might have crossed my mind," I deadpanned, making him look over and grin at me.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you to help me out in the mornings so I can be at the same level with the lessons as Gajeel and Wendy. I don't like the feeling of being behind in the slightest."

"Is it really so bad to be a little behind?" I asked him. "Everyone learns things at a different pace. Some things we're good at and others we aren't."

"This is Dragon Slayer Magic we're talking about here. I should be able to do it with ease."

"But this is a bit different from what you're used to. It takes some practice to get the hang of it."

"But how can it be different?" he asked me and I could see how frustrated he was to the core.

"Because this type of magic requires precision and finesse, which the kind you're used to only needs brute strength," I explained, not even noticing until just then that we had already reached the gate. I unlocked it, opened it for all of us, then shut and relocked it before saying, "Like I said before, you're just not used to the technique required. You just need to get acquainted with it on your own accord. That is not something I can teach you. It's up to you."

I heard him grumble something under his breath and then he was silent for the rest of the walk to Fairy Tail, only opening his mouth to talk once when Gray approached. "What do you want, Gray?" he growled quietly, shooting him a glare.

"Someone's grouchy today. No need to be so rude, you pyro."

It was an instant brawl and I sighed as both Happy and Tyger cheered on Natsu. Using my magic, I forced a barrier between the two of them and knocked them backwards to the floor. "There's no need to be fighting while the master is gone!" I yelled at them both, watching as they watched me with wary eyes. "When he gets back, you can fight to your heart's content, but right now I better not catch either of you fighting or else!"

"Or else what?" they both asked simultaneously.

"Or else I will lock the both of you in a box of shadows until you learn to play nice," I told them, giving them an evil grin that had them paling and I laughed as I walked away. I walked over to the counter where Lucy and Mira were standing and said, "How long do you think the two of them will last without fighting each other?"

As Happy brought me Ty and I set her on my shoulder where she lovingly rubbed her cheek against mine, Lucy answered, "I give it an hour."

"Now, Lucy," Mira scolded, "give her a realistic answer! I say it's half an hour instead."

"I don't even know why I bothered," I laughed, watching as the two of them in question started off to the other side of the room where they could glare at each other and avoid fighting. "I give it forty-five minutes before I have to take action again. Natsu's in a bit of a bad mood today."

"Why is that?" Mira asked me and Lucy nodded, so she must have been wondering the same thing as well.

"Well, he wanted to learn the long range magic that I'm good at, but he's getting frustrated at how he's a bit slower at getting the basics down than Gajeel and Wendy," I explained to them both.

"Natsu isn't exactly the most patient of people," Lucy said with a laugh then saw her blush slightly before calling out, "Gray, did you forget something again?"

"No, why?" he asked and I finally saw what Lucy had caught, shaking my head and covering my mouth with my hand to stifle a laugh.

"Well, that's funny because I think you forgot that you're not wearing any clothes again!" Lucy told him and he looked down, a gasp of shock before he quickly put his clothes back on. All the women present just shook their heads or laughed a bit, all except for one in particular who was hiding behind a pillar. I couldn't tell, but I thought it might have been Juvia hiding back there. I had heard that she was excellent at Water Magic and I was impressed from the stories.

I heard Natsu laugh hysterically and point at Gray, then all hell broke loose as Gray took off at him and had him by the collar before they began to brawl again. "That's it!" I yelled. I was in front of the two of them faster than it could register in their brains, the shadows forming on my fists as I rammed them both into their stomachs. They wheezed as they fought for breath and I used the shadows on my fists to create a box that was big enough for the two of them before moving it over to the center of the guildhall where it floated above the main aisle. "Once you two can learn to behave, I'll let you out! And if I hear the two of you fighting in there, I will shrink the box down until it forces you two to be friendly to each other!"

With a huff, I walked back to the counter and saw Mira and Lucy trying to hold back their laughter but failing miserably. Then we heard a groan from the box and Gray said, "Man, how can you be having motion sickness right now?"

"I can feel it floating up and down in the air," Natsu groaned miserably.

"You better not throw up on me!" Gray told him seriously.

"Hey, Timara, do you get motion sickness like Natsu?" Lucy asked me. "I was curious to find out if it's just a Dragon Slayer thing."

"Sometimes I do, but it really just depends on what causes it. Like boats or trains will, but for some reason I'm fine on roller coasters," I told her. "I think it's because a roller coaster isn't considered a form of transportation but rather just a form of entertainment that is kind of like flying!"

"Wish Natsu would consider things like you do," Lucy grumbled. "He gets motion sickness with the weirdest things."

"Timara, I'll behave!" Natsu groaned, calling out to me and sounding very sick. "Just get me out of here!"

"Do you both promise not to fight each other until the master gets back?" I asked.

"I promise, now let me out!" Natsu told me quickly.

"Gray?" I asked, noting his silence. "How about you?"

"… Oh, alright," he grumbled. "I promise not to fight Natsu until Gramps gets back."

"Good boys!" I exclaimed and clapped my hands together once to make the box disappear. They both fell to the aisle and instantly separated, Natsu walking over to stand beside me while Gray went over to the pillar that Juvia was hiding behind. I saw him say something but I couldn't hear what it was over the noises of my other guild mates. "I wonder what he's saying…" I said to myself.

"Who cares," mumbled Natsu and Lucy giggled a little.

"Fire and ice never get along," Lucy told me with a smile.

"You shouldn't be so trigger happy when it comes to fighting," I teased him, leaning over a little since he was so close to me and lightly bumping against his shoulder, which made him look over at me.

He gave me a smirk and reached over to muss my hair before saying, "That's just the way I am. I can't exactly change that aspect of me." I patted down the parts of hair that stuck up at funny angles and glared when he laughed at me. The parts of my hair that was too short for the braid may have been fair game for this sort of thing, but I still didn't have to like it when people did stuff like that.

It wasn't that long after I had lunch with Lucy and Natsu that the other two Dragon Slayers came over to beg me for another training lesson, Natsu soon following suit with the begging and I sighed. Natsu and Gajeel are acting just like big children, I thought to myself and inwardly smiled. I agreed and they cheerily followed me out of the guildhall and to the park with the cherry blossom trees. This time, I told them to create their Exceed partners from the ball of magic and they gasped in shock.

"But that's so much bigger than the flowers!" Wendy told me.

"However, you should know just about every detail about them, so creating a replica of them should be easy for you," I told them all before plopping myself down on the grass and putting Tyger down on my lap so that I could check her broken wing. It still had a few more weeks of healing to do, but it was at least healing properly. I was instantly surprised when within a minute, Natsu was the first one to have a fiery red Happy with golden eyes.

"I did it!" he yelled, doing a small victory lap around the large cherry blossom tree before going back to the other two Dragon Slayers to help them.

I was adjusting the splint when I noticed finally that Tyger had grown a little, which meant that she was healthy and happy. That made me so thrilled after the situation of catching her before she hit the ground when I first met her. I was still extremely angry at whoever sired her and left her to fall from the trees, but I was also thankful for the stroke of fate that led me to my loyal companion. She was the one thing I never wanted to lose and I would do everything I could to keep her safe from danger, regardless of whether or not she is a kitten or fully grown. She purred quietly before curling up onto my lap for another nap, which she did a lot. She was slowly taking less and less, but she was allowed to nap as much as she wanted since she was a kitten.

Once they had that task down, I gave them another, this time making it smaller than they were used to. I told them to make a since cherry blossom petal, making them groan in frustration at my request. I knew why they were complaining, but I had to keep them on their toes. This is exactly how Skiadrum taught me and the methods were foolproof. This time things were back to normal, Wendy and Gajeel finishing theirs first while Natsu struggled a bit. It was as he tried again for the tenth time that I saw no frustration clues in his body language even though he voiced it loudly and knew that he was holding back on me on purpose.

"Well, imagine that," I said quietly, making them look up at me in confusion. "Either you're trying to get back at me for all the times I fought with you and held back or you are actually quite good at this and just choose to keep that fact hidden." He didn't say anything to me and I knew I had him. "You're actually really good at creating things, aren't you?"

With a flash, he had a cherry blossom petal made from flames on the palm of his hand and he refused to look at me. I couldn't understand the fact that he almost acted… ashamed. "I'm sorry I lied," he told me quietly. "I know how to do this by watching Gray use his magic since we were just kids."

For some reason, I could tell that what he said was a lie, but I didn't press him further for answers and figured that in time he would tell me how he knew it. "Alright, Natsu," I said simply. "But now you'll have to be my assistant in teaching the other two on how to use it!" He looked up at me in surprise and I knew he wasn't expecting me to let it go so easily, but he gave me a relieved smile and a nod.

"I'll do the best I can!" he told me.

The rest of the day was spent by creating rabbits from magic and making them race against each other. Of course, mine always won but Wendy's, whose rabbit was created with Sky Dragon Magic, was a close second. Her rabbit barely touched the grass and practically flew across the ground in the race. In time, I was sure that she could beat mine handily.

It was late in the afternoon when we finally decided to call it a day and head back to the guild to relax before heading home. With Tyger sitting on my shoulder, I took a different route back with Natsu as Wendy convinced Gajeel to take her to get ice cream, their little cats flying behind them as they went. I was talking with Natsu about how ice cream sounded great right now when I heard low voices talking around the corner in an alleyway. With an overbearing curiosity that always seemed to get the best of me, I sank into the shadows and swooped into the alley, causing Natsu to look very confused at my sudden disappearance. Once there, I saw that it was Juvia and Gray whispering to each other and smiling at the other's words. I decided to scare them and half popped out of the shadows.

"What are you guys talking about?" I whispered loudly to them, making them jump apart and they blushed profusely.

"Nothing!" they said to me simultaneously and I knew for a fact that something was going on between the two of them.

"It certainly doesn't _look_ like nothing!" I said, grinning when their blushing only got worse.

"You might be a Shadow Dragon Slayer, but that gives you no right to use it to eavesdrop on people or do that creepy thing you're doing right now!" Gray yelled.

"What creepy thing?" I heard Natsu ask before he came into sight to peek around the corner at us, Happy swooping down by his head to look as well. "Oh, cool! I wish _I_ could do that!"

Both Gray's and Juvia's blushing increased until finally they both bolted in opposite directions to get away from us, Gray nearly taking out Natsu in the process. Natsu yelled after him to watch where he was going, but the Ice Wizard didn't hear him. I laughed as I pulled myself out of the shadows completely, my ankle somehow managing to get stuck and having to ask Natsu for help. He grabbed me by the forearm and pulled, nearly making me ram into him and almost causing Tyger to fall from my shoulder.

"Hey, take it easy, Natsu!" I laughed.

"Sorry, Timara," he said, smiling a little before something caught his eye. He practically lit up as he ran down the alley towards the other road where a fireworks stand was closing up for the day. As I walked to him, he quickly bought up as many fireworks as he could before paying the man who owned the stand. "C'mon! Let's go light these at your place!" With that, he immediately headed in the direction of the gate that led to my mansion.

"Wait a minute, why my place?" I asked him.

"Because your place has the lakeside view and we can see double the fireworks from its reflection!" he explained, picking up the pace and making me jog after him just to keep up.

"Well, thanks for just inviting yourself over!" I grumbled, turning my head so that he couldn't see my grin.

"You're welcome!" he told me before actually starting to run.

It didn't take long to reach the gate at the pace Natsu set and I unlocked it quickly, locking it once more when we both were through it and we ran along the path to the house. As we approached, I saw Zeref looking out of one of the windows before he just seemed to disappear. When we were less than thirty feet away, he whipped open the door and ran out with a worried look on his face.

"Is everything alright?" he asked me. "You weren't being chased by anything, were you?"

"No, Zeref, we're ok," I explained to him with a smile that had him looking puzzled. "Natsu bought fireworks and got a bit excited about setting them off, so we ended up running all the way here!"

"Have you seen fireworks before?" Natsu asked him, practically bouncing up and down on his toes. "They're great! But then again, anything with fire is great!"

Zeref turned to look at me, then asked, "What are fireworks?"

"I'll explain that to you after we've had dinner and once the sun has gone down," I told him gleefully. "It's better to watch fireworks at night."

Dinner was already set out for us since Zeref made the works during his free time. It was a grand feast fit for a king and we all dug into it, barely even registering what we ate aside from the fact that it was good. I had always been a picky eater even as a kid, but not once did I think about that with the thought of fireworks stuck in my mind. Once all of us had eaten, including our Exceed partners, we sat down in the living room and just talked about things until night had fallen. We told Zeref stories about the feats of Fairy Tail and some of our craziest jobs that we had ever gone on. For once since I had met him, Zeref seemed genuinely happy and was sufficiently distracted from his reminiscing of his sins. Even though I knew it wouldn't last long, I was happy for him as well.

The moment night had fallen, Natsu jumped up off of the couch and grabbed me by the hand, dragging me to my feet and then running outside as he yelled something about getting ready for the show. I walked over to Zeref and extended a hand to him, which he hesitantly took. I knew he didn't know what to expect and was a bit nervous, so I let him hold my hand as I led him outside.

"Fireworks are just huge flares of light in the sky," I explained. "The reason people like them so much are because the fireworks are pretty and they are loud. So don't be scared if it sounds like a cannon went off, ok?"

We went over to the edge of the hill that the mansion was on and sat down on the grass, watching Natsu set up the fireworks with Happy near the lake's lapping water. I stretched out my legs and set Ty down on my lap where she could sit to get the best view, feeling Zeref squeeze my hand nervously. Natsu was leading a fuse along behind him that stopped ten feet away from us and then lit it with his magic, bounding over and sitting beside me. The fuse burned quickly and within seconds the first firework was sent into the air, making Zeref jump in surprise and squeeze my hand tighter. With a loud pop, you could see a rearing horse. I then realized that these fireworks were the magic kind and I felt excitement thrill through me, turning to grin at Natsu for his good choice. He grinned back, throwing his arm around my shoulders and leaving it there as the next firework was sent soaring into the sky. This one was a striking cobra and Zeref smiled a little, releasing my hand to clap his. The next two were a lion and tiger fighting amidst sparks raining down, then there was grand finale. It started as a large amount of fireworks set off to look like flames and then a large red dragon burst forth, roaring and shooting fire into the sky before a large crash could be heard and multicolored orbs of light fell slowly around us. We all yelled and clapped for the show, then decided to call it a night and head back inside. I hugged Natsu in thanks as Zeref headed to his room up the stairs, his arms wrapping around me tightly before I pulled away and ran up the stairs to my room. I set Tyger down beside me and crawled under the blankets, smiling as sleep slowly took hold.


	5. Nightmares

**Hello again! I have successfully managed to write a new chapter, one that is... interesting, to say the least. I felt like we needed a bit of darkness thrown into the mix, a bit more than we were given a glimpse of a couple chapters back. Thank you to everyone who reads the story and one more thing of grave importance before you carry on with the story... Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Nightmares**

The next few days passed by without any incident at all. I trained Wendy and Gajeel during the day, Natsu helping them when they couldn't quite understand how to do something, and then spent the nights with Zeref and occasionally Natsu as well. It was surprising how well behaved the guild could be during the council meeting the guild masters had, everyone going about their lives in peace as they picked jobs to do on the request board. Today was the day I gave everyone the day of rest that Skiadrum always required. He always used to say that I'd need one day for myself or my frustrations would run rampant and I wouldn't be able to work at my very best. It also happened to be the day that Master Makarov came back from the meeting and I hopped down from his spot on the counter.

"Did they behave for you?" he asked as Mira handed him a tankard full of alcohol, which I supposed was a tradition for him once he came back from meeting with other guild masters.

"The only fights that broke out were from Natsu and Gray, but I put an end to it before they could cause any damage to the guild or anyone else," I told him with a grin. "Neither of them wants to ever fight each other in my presence."

"What did you do, lock them in a box until they played nice?" he asked jokingly until he saw my proud smile. "You didn't…"

"Oh, I did. It worked perfectly!" I told him with a laugh.

"She's right, master!" Mira told him cheerily. "It's been three days since a squabble broke out between the two of them and that's a new record!"

"I think I'm going to have to let you watch over the guild more often then!" he exclaimed, chuckling to himself as he took a drink from the tankard.

I decided that during my day off from training Dragon Slayers, I was going to hide from everyone and perhaps even take a brief nap. I thought about taking up a job that would keep me close by, but I decided against it when I heard Tyger yawning. I took off to the park where I held training and then jumped into the large cherry blossom tree's branches, picking a sturdy one to take my nap. With Ty curled up on my chest and snoring quietly, I drifted off and slept.

* * *

There was a wall of darkness surrounding me, but this time I could at least see my hands as clear as day when I lifted them into my field of vision. There was something on the other side of that wall, just out of reach but it weighed heavily on my mind with an otherworldly pressure. With a blast of that same pressure, it sent me to my knees and forced me to hunch over. I felt like I was choking on the air itself when it refused to give my lungs any relief when I heard a shifting sound behind the wall.

_I'm coming for The Black Wizard, Dragon Slayer,_ the voice said in my mind, sending sparks of pain through my body at its intensity. _And I will collect you and the other Dragon Slayers as well._

"I'd like to see you try," I gritted out, my voice coming out as a loud whisper as my vision began to fade in and out from lack of oxygen. I hissed when the pressure increased and forced me flat on the ground on my stomach. I tried to push myself up onto my hands and knees, but even that was a herculean task I couldn't accomplish on my own.

I see that you've still got some fight left, you insolent girl. I can't wait to break you of it and make you be my slave.

"I'd… rather die…" I croaked and gasped for air like a fish out of water. I knew that it was toying with me, trying to get me to back down to it but I wasn't going to give this presence the satisfaction.

Just swear fealty to me and I'll stop the torture.

"Not… on your life…" I said, giving it a prideful grin as my vision failed completely. Faintly, I heard it speak once more.

_I will visit you in your dreams until I have broken you down,_ it growled evilly. _I will have what I wish one way or another, girl._

* * *

With a gasp to send precious air back into my lungs, I sat up too quick and immediately toppled out of the tree. I heard Tyger cry out and I grabbed her, clutching her to my chest and twisting in midair to hit my back off of the branches on the way down so that my kitten wouldn't be hurt in the fall. Just as I had closed my eyes to accept my fate of being brutally injured in the fall, something crashed into me and knocked me off my course. I soon noticed that someone had caught me before I hit the ground, wrapping their arms around me and turning so that they slid across the grass on their back to avoid any more injury to me. I opened my eyes to see that there was a deep groove in the dirt where we had slid a few feet from the tree and turned my head to my savior to see Natsu looking up at me worriedly. With a light blush painting my cheeks, I quickly slipped from his arms and stood up, pulling him to his feet as well then turning so he couldn't see my ever reddening face. Tyger looked up at me and mewed questioningly, but didn't say a word as Natsu gasped.

"Your back is bleeding badly!" he told me as Happy flew into sight.

Not giving me any time to protest, he picked me up and carried me in his arms as he took off in the direction of the guild, Happy taking Tyger from me as she cried from being separated from me. I looked behind us to see a trail of blood droplets so I tried to use my magic only to have a yelling Natsu tell me not to bother since we were almost there. I looked up and saw that he was right, the guildhall was only a few blocks away and he picked up the pace. The doors were thankfully already open as he rushed inside, everyone turning to look at us and gasping in shock. Once Natsu had me placed on my stomach on the counter in front of Mira, the master was out in the city somewhere, a crowd soon gathered around us as Natsu yelled for Wendy.

"What happened?" she called to him, Carla flying her over the heads of the crows and placing her beside Natsu. Carla hovered beside Happy as Wendy took a look at my back.

"It's really not as bad as he's making it sound," I told her. "I've had much worse before, so this is nothing."

"Says the idiot who fell from the tallest cherry blossom tree and hit her back on every branch on the way down!" Natsu yelled, giving me an angry stare. "What were you doing up there in the first place?!"

"I was taking a nap and then had a nightmare, so I sat up too fast and fell," I explained.

"You've got Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic!" he shouted at me. "Why didn't you use it to create a net to stop your fall or even those wings you're so fond of?!"

I honestly didn't know how to answer his question, but I still tried to anyway. I looked down as a wave of fear passed down my spine and made me shiver. "It was a bad nightmare and I wasn't thinking clearly," I whispered, looking down shamefully. I heard a noise of surprise and looked up again to see that Tyger had gotten out of Happy's hold, struggling as she flew over to me to comfort me in my time of need. Without any assistance, she made it all the way to the counter where she landed and walked in front of me to rub her cheek against mine. I couldn't help but give her a wan smile and patted her gently on the head.

"I love you, Mara!" she said cheerily, giving me a great big smile.

"I love you, too, Ty," I responded back, feeling a bit better now. The kitten always knew exactly what to do to make me feel better.

Wendy walked over and gently pressed her hands over the cuts in my back and making me hiss in pain, nearly jumping up to get off the counter when Natsu grabbed hold of my shoulders and Mira held onto my legs. "I'm sorry, Timara, but this is going to hurt a little and feel much better when I'm done," Wendy told me soothingly.

For some reason, my mind drifted back to that terrible moment in the past when those villagers attacked me and a piece of my brain that I hadn't used in a very long time clicked into place. It was a piece of desperation that one only uses when they're afraid for their life. The rational part of me knew that they wouldn't intentionally hurt me, but the fact that they held me down frightened me more than I'd ever want to admit and I thrashed in terror.

"No!" I wailed, tears sliding down my cheeks before I could stop them. The irrational part of my mind took over as hysteria was coursing through my veins. "Don't hurt me! Just leave me alone!"

I felt as three more sets of hands grabbed me to keep me in place, but I thrashed again in their hold as Wendy started to mutter something under her breath. A wave of hot air blasted over my wounds and I screeched in pain as it seeped into them. The air then cooled until it sent uncontrollable shivers through me that forced me to stop trying to escape from their hold and the pain began to lessen. I still cried, only whimpering now that I felt the blood stop flowing from my back. Tyger walked over to my ear and purred comfortingly while Natsu whispered reassuringly that I would be ok.

Once I felt Wendy lift her palms from my back, everyone else that had been holding me down lifted their hands as well. It gave me the opportunity to shoot wings from my back, leaping into the air with Tyger clutched to my chest and flying to the highest wooden beam near the ceiling that was completely covered in shadow. I leaned back against the wall and pulled my knees up as close to my chest as I could get them, my wings splayed against the stone and I slowly rocked back and forth as the distress I felt stayed with me.

"Natsu, what are we going to do?" I heard Wendy ask, the concern was evident in the tone of her voice.

"I'll try and see if I can coax her down," he said. "Happy, will you help me out?"

"Aye, sir!" Happy told him.

A few seconds later, I looked up to see Happy carrying Natsu up to the beam I was on and setting him down outside of the shadows a few feet away. "Wow, she's really good at blending in," Happy said to Natsu as he hovered over his shoulder. "The only things I can see of her are her eyes!"

"Timara," Natsu called to me softly and I warily watched him as he approached me as slow as he could. I remembered back when I had first met Rogue as a child that he acted the same way with me, treating me like a frightened animal that might bolt away if you got too close. "Why don't you come back down with me? I promise you that no one will pin you down. It will never happen again while I'm around."

A low whine escaped my lips as I anxiously looked up at him, trying to scoot away from him and remembering too late that I was technically trapped. He extended his hand out to me and rationality finally clicked into place, silencing the whine and grabbing his hand to allow him to pull me to my feet. I extended my wings and flew down to the doors, flying outside and towards my house. It might have been late afternoon, but I was emotionally done with this day and needed to be left alone for a while. Once I had finally reached it, I flew up to the roof and just lay down on my back, watching the clouds as they passed by overhead. Even though I insisted that she go play with the occasional falling leaf, Tyger stayed by my side, curling up for a nap beside my head. Her loyalty to me astounded me sometimes, but I was grateful to have her. I rested my eyes for a while, careful not to fall back asleep and just relaxed as the sun's rays fell down upon me. I barely even heard two feet hit the ground and happened to open my eyes to see Natsu bending over to look at me.

"You left the guild so fast that I didn't have a chance to even ask you what the nightmare was or why you reacted the way you did," he said, observing me quietly.

"Neither of which you will be told about," I said curtly, turning my head to the side to avoid eye contact. Natsu walked over and plopped down beside me, lying back to put his head level with mine and I sighed. "You seem determined."

"How about this," he told me earnestly. "Just tell me one of them. That's all I'm asking."

"Fine then," I whispered before speaking a bit louder. "Ever since I lost my memory from the attack back when I was a child, I can't have people holding me down or some primal part of me takes over. I know it's just my panicked mind trying to protect me, but I just… don't like it."

"I can't really say that I blame you for doing that," Natsu said. "What I don't understand is why you still refuse to open up to anyone."

"… I don't really know," I whispered to myself, confusion washing over me in waves. There's no real reason why I keep so many secrets from people. "Maybe it just become a part of who I am since I've done it for so long."

"No, I think it's more of a habit if anything," he said, giving me a smile and reaching over to take my hand. "Why don't you just open up to me? Tell me everything right from the beginning. I swear I would never do anything to betray your trust."

I gazed into his eyes and saw how much he actually meant those words. I tightened my grip on his hand for comfort before nodding and starting to tell my story. The first couple minutes of talking about such person matters were hard, but once I got used to it the words seemed to just rush from my lips. I was crying tears of relief, feeling like a dam had just broken to release all these pent up emotions I'd held onto for so long and I was comforted by the fact that I knew Natsu would take whatever secrets I didn't want anyone to know to his grave. By the time I had told him everything about me, the sun was setting and I was emotionally exhausted. He leaned over to touch his forehead against mine, both of us closing our eyes for in this moment both our troubles were alleviated.

"Thank you for trusting me enough to hear your story," Natsu whispered and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"You're very welcome," I sighed back.

He pulled away a little and I opened my eyes quickly to see a strange emotion that I didn't understand or recognize flicker across his face before it was suppressed. I hadn't even noticed, but Happy had been playing with Tyger the entire time we talked. I decided that I was too tired for dinner, but when we went inside I asked Natsu and Zeref to feed Tyger for me and then help her get to my room, which I would leave the door unlocked for them. I walked up the stairs and to my room, crawling under the covers and passing out fast, forgetting my troubles for just a little while longer.

* * *

The wall of darkness was before me again, only this time there were flickers of blue amongst the darkness. A roar could be heard somewhere past the wall and a magic pressure slammed into me, forcing me to the ground and choking me again. This time, I fought harder, pushing my own magic out into the space around me and allowing me a little breathing room but not enough for me to get the energy to stand.

_Useless human. Why do you insist on fighting?_

"Because I'm stronger than you think and I have a hunch that I know your identity that you've been trying so hard to hide," I said with an evil grin. "I guess this means that I'm smarter than you!"

The magic pressure slammed into me hard, pressing my organs together painfully as it felt like being stomped on by a dragon. I felt blood trickle out of my mouth as I began to bleed internally from the force of it all when I heard its laughter.

_Fool! Don't forget that I can torture you to your death in your dreams for as long as I want!_

With a sickening crunch, I felt my spine snap and I howled in agony, unable to even wiggle my toes now. I coughed heavily as blood spewed from my lips and to the ground, but I refused to feel fear with this creature and still mustered up the energy to glare up at where I thought it was hiding.

"Go ahead!" I screamed at it. "You can try to crush my will as much as you'd like through these dreams, but you'll only find that I've somehow bent you to my command instead! I am _much_ stronger than you think and the fact that you underestimate me so will be your downfall!"

_Die, little girl,_ it said as it crushed me under the pressure and I howled in pain again. _I'm sick of your insignificant nonsense that you find so important to lash at me._

* * *

I sat up as quick as I could, the exhaustion from earlier only worse now that my dreams were now haunted by the faceless darkness. I still wasn't one hundred percent sure I knew who it was, but I was sure about one thing. That monster is going to pay with its last breath after all the torment against me. I wouldn't allow for it to live a moment longer. I groaned when I felt how sore my body was from the latest torture and knew my mind couldn't take much more of this before it eventually killed me. It was as I was assessing the latest damage that I heard tapping against glass. I looked up first to see Natsu and Happy lying at the foot of my bed, sleeping heavily with Tyger lying on Natsu's back. I just shook my head and got up out of bed to walk over to the window to see another miniature version of Skiadrum waiting for me. I carried it over to the desk and sat down in the chair in front of it after I gently set it down on the desk itself.

Its crimson eyes observed me, most likely noticing the dark circles under my eyes, before it finally said with Rogue's voice, "You're not looking so good, Timara."

"I've noticed," I said simply, sitting back in the chair and leaning my head back onto the headrest.

"What's going on over there?" he asked, thinly veiled concern in the tone of his voice.

"Nothing, I just keep having these extremely bad nightmares that are hyper realistic every single time I go to sleep," I told him with a sigh. "It's all a slight variation of the same dream. I can't seem to ever get rid of it."

"Have you tried a magical dream catcher?" he asked curiously. "Or I've heard that if you sleep in someone's arms, they keep the dreams at bay. You could always ask the person behind you on the bed."

I jolted in my chair from shock and instantly remembered that Natsu was in plain sight of the dragon. With a blush staining my cheeks, I quickly said, "No, no! That won't be necessary!"

"Aww, look at that! Is my little sister actually blushing right now?" he teased. "Is there something I need to know about the two of you? Are you finally dating someone?"

"Rogue, if you don't knock it off, the first moment instance I see you I will punch you in the face," I growled, only succeeding in making him laugh.

"Now I know for sure that there's something going on between the two of you. And even if there isn't right now, there will be soon." In the back of my mind, I filed away a reminder to make good on my threat when I saw him before he said, "If you remember, I told you that I would send another dragon to you and let you know when you can start your travels. I will give you one day to get travelling arrangements completed and then expect to see you within one week at the place we agreed upon."

"And what happens if I don't make it in one week?" I asked stubbornly.

"I leave to track you down," he said as the dragon began to fade. "Oh and one more thing. I have a feeling that you won't show up with your Exceed partner alone, so I am agreeable to allowing a few of your friends to come along. Just don't bring too many because I don't think my guild master will approve of a large group from Fairy Tail arriving like a small army."

With his last parting words and not giving me any time to say anything in response, the dragon faded from existence and I sighed in frustration. I heard movement from behind me and turned to see that Natsu was awake, but for how long was the mystery to me. In the darkness just before morning, I thought I could faintly see him blushing and then knew he had listened in on the conversation at least at the worst part.

"I see that you've heard a good chunk of the conversation with my brother," I said before turning my head back to stare at the now empty tabletop of the desk.

"Actually, I heard all of it," he said simply. "But what I'm more concerned about are the dreams you keep having. What are they about?"

The time now felt right to discuss the dream with him and I sighed before speaking. "I'm standing in the middle of a column of darkness, one that I can't see through but can sense something hiding within it. It creates a pressure so strong that it knocks me to my stomach, staying on the ground no matter how much I struggle to get up. So far, it first chose to draw the air from my lungs as it choked me with the same pressure and told me that it was going to keep doing this every night until it broke my will to fight then the dream I had this morning was where it crushed me to death, snapping my spine in half and making me bleed internally. Then I wake up and feel sore from the torture I endured in my dream."

"This is bad," he said, looking worried as he gazed up at me. "Tomorrow, we'll search every store in Magnolia to find a magical dream catcher and see if it works. As for your brother's other suggestion," he paused as his blush returned, "w-well, we'll try it right now! There are a few hours left before dawn."

I blushed with him but didn't know what else to do for I was fighting sleep again. I walked over to the bed and picked up Tyger from Natsu's back so she wouldn't fall when he moved over to my pillows, then set her down beside Happy before making my way over to my side of the bed. I got in bed and lay on my right side as Natsu turned to wrap his arm around me, leaning his forehead against the nape of my neck and yawning heavily before falling sleep faster than I had ever seen. Almost as if his peaceful sleep was contagious, I slowly began to sleep myself, no matter how hard I tried to fight to stay awake.

This time, my sleep was peaceful as could be and I woke up feeling refreshed and energized. Except for the fact that Natsu's arm somehow kept me pinned to him, the day was starting out much better than I'd thought it would have. I looked up to see that the cats had just woken up and were looking over at us in confusion.

"Mara, what are you doing?" Tyger asked.

"We came up with an idea to keep the nightmares I've been having away," I explained. "We figured that maybe if my subconscious recognizes the presence of someone strong, the nightmares will stop completely." I squirmed a bit in Natsu's hold to make him wake up with a start. "Time to get ready for the day ahead of us!"

I jumped out of bed and adjusted my braid before grabbing Ty to place her on my shoulder. With Natsu and Happy on my heels, I opened the door at the same time as Zeref. He gave us all a confused look before he just shook his head and looked at me.

"I can feel the serious air about you all," he told me. "Something is about to go down and I would like to know what that would be."

"We're about to get ready for my trip to Sabertooth to visit my brother," I told him. "I have to tell the master of my departure plans and then get travel supplies ready, along with transportation."

"I would like to go along with you," Zeref said. "Then I won't have to worry about you being attacked on the way there or the way back."

"I want to go, too!" Natsu exclaimed and gave me a look that meant he'd go no matter what my answer is.

I just nodded and then walked out of the house with Natsu at my heels. Instead of walking all the way to the guildhall this time, Happy grabbed Natsu just as I grew my wings and we took off into the sky. It only took a few minutes at our pace before we finally reached the courtyard before the guild and ran inside.

"Master Makarov!" I yelled as I slid to a halt before him, panting slightly from the overexertion so far. "I have an important request to ask of you!"

"What is it, my child?" he asked curiously.

"My brother asked for me to visit him over at Sabertooth and I wanted to ask for vacation days to see why it is he sent for me."

"Take as many days as you'd like," he said. "I'm sure others of Fairy Tail would like a chance to go with you."

Just as I expected, the three Dragon Slayers and their cats, Erza, Lucy, Gray, and Juvia all spoke up. The tasks at hand for preparing for such a trip were spread out amongst each other as Natsu and I took our cats along to go get a magic dream catcher before we left. By the time that the sun was about to set, everyone had all the provisions needed to get us by. Erza even requested for us to have a large magic vehicle for all of us to fit into. Her find would make the trip go by that even faster than I'd thought and then we all called it a night so we could catch some sleep before the long trip.

While Natsu was back at his little house not far from mine, I decided that now would be the perfect time to have a talk with Zeref. "If you go with us, then you stick with me. I plan on driving the vehicle to the meeting place where Rogue is waiting for us so you'll sit up front with me. That way we won't have to risk any accidents regarding your magic."

"That sounds like a good idea to me," he said as he picked at the white sash around him. "I wouldn't want for any of your friends to get hurt on my account. Or worse, I would rather they didn't die because of my magic. I've done enough killing in this world to last me a lifetime and more."

"Just know that I will be close by in case it gets out of hand," I told him. "I can put that barrier around you in a pinch and maybe even create a talisman of some sort to keep the bursts of Death Magic to yourself. Then you could be in the cab with the other and socialize some."

"I don't need to socialize like the rest of you humans," he laughed to himself. "I've gone centuries without speaking to another soul and I've done just fine. Don't worry about that so much."

"Alright, if you insist."

It wasn't long before Natsu arrived and I went to bed, Tyger curled up against my chest and Natsu's arm flung over me. I didn't have another nightmare this night and I was thrilled to sleep peacefully once more before the chaotic events of a trip unfolded.


	6. The Trip to Sabertooth

**Hello to the readers of this story! It took me a while, but I managed to put together this latest chapter! It took some brainstorming to do so, but I feel as if it does this story justice. Music helped out a lot and fueled my creativity, so enjoy the adventure about to unfold!**

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**Chapter 6: The Trip to Sabertooth**

The next morning, I woke up to a bouncing kitten who was yowling excitedly about the trip. She pounced on my face, batting one of her paws against my forehead before moving to bite my ear. I hissed in pain when her teeth pinched the skin too tightly, but she accomplished her goal when I sat up and caught her before she tumbled down to the bed. She looked as if she was about to jump from my hands to attack a sleeping Natsu next but I kept a tight grip on her so she couldn't try it.

"Don't be a naughty kitten," I scolded her lightly, only making her giggle and smack her paws against my hands while kicking her legs.

"Aww, you're no fun, Mara!" she laughed, smiling brightly up at me. I hugged her to me tightly with a smile of my own and then set her down on the bed.

I turned over to Natsu, about to wake him up myself before Tyger tried, but he tightened his hold on me and pinned me against him. "So warm…" he mumbled in his sleep as he rested his chin on the top of my head.

Even though it was just Natsu, I began to feel trapped and claustrophobic, which caused panic to creep along the edges of my mind. When I started to shiver in fear that I couldn't control, it caused for Natsu to wake and then sleepily look down at me. Since I couldn't really move away from him, I just closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against his collarbones, the shivering from fear getting worse no matter what I did to try and stop it.

"Are you ok?" he asked me and I could feel his concern for me as it washed over me in waves.

"You've got me pinned and I can't move," I whimpered, fighting a sudden onslaught of tears that caught me off-guard.

He seemed confused at first since he was still half asleep, but when he saw that what I said was true, a jolt of shock went through his body and he immediately let me go. I rolled over onto my other side and curled into a ball, keeping enough distance between us for me to try and calm down. Once the shaking stopped, I hopped out of bed as if nothing had happened and packed clothes in a suitcase before placing it within my own shadow where it would stay until I needed it. I grabbed a blue halter dress and ran into the bathroom to change, adjusting the gladiator boots and then undoing the braid in my long black hair before brushing it out to fall in loose waves down my back. I mussed up my bangs and the hair framing my face a little and then walked outside to where Natsu and the cats were waiting.

"Wow, pretty Mara!" I heard Tyger say as she launched herself off the bed towards me, flapping her one wing that was free furiously as flew and I caught her with a laugh.

"Thanks, Ty," I said as I placed her on my shoulder where she played with my hair. Natsu and Happy both looked surprised at my appearance. "What?" I asked them.

"Nothing!" they both said simultaneously. I chuckled at their behavior and motioned for them to follow me as I headed to the door. Walking out of it revealed Zeref, who was waiting patiently for me to come out and we all began to walk to the stairs. Practically taking them two at a time, we reached the front door and I locked it behind us.

"How are you going to handle being around a city full of people?" I quietly asked Zeref as Natsu and Happy walked ahead of us. Tyger peeked her head out of the mass of my hair and listened in on us.

"I should be ok," he said with a smile. "And if anything goes wrong, you'll be there to stop my Death Magic from accidentally killing any innocent people."

"That's right!" I said, walking closer to him to give him a brief hug before pushing away. He laughed and we continued on with the walking, although for some reason I thought Natsu was walking a little too rigidly as if he was upset or angry about something.

When we reached the gate leading into the city, I unlocked it from our side, letting everyone pass through before locking it behind us. I saw the man who gave me the keys and ran over to him. I explained that I would be going on a trip and would be out of town for a while and then asked that he watch over the place for me while I was gone. He gave me a bright smile and told me not to worry for he'd keep it safe. I waved as I ran in the direction of my friends for they were already walking towards the guild. Once I'd caught up, we ran on the rest of the way and I kept my eye on Zeref in case he needed my help to keep his magic under control. Once we'd made it to the courtyard, we saw everyone that was going with and also the magic vehicle waiting for us.

"Hey, guys, good of you to finally show up!" Lucy called to us before finally noticing the wizard beside me. "Wait, who's he?"

"He's a friend of mine!" I said with a smile, hoping that no one would recognize him for what he really was. I thought that I had convinced everyone, but I saw as Erza's face when from acceptance to shock and then straight to rage. She had a sword in her hand within seconds and rushed at Zeref with a battle cry. I created a shadowy sword of my own and was between the two with seconds to spare, blocking her slash and pushing back at her with every ounce of strength I had.

"Why are you defending him?!" she screamed, her eyes radiating the fury she felt as they lit up. "Don't you know that he is The Black Wizard, Zeref?"

This was exactly what I was secretly worried about by letting Zeref come along and I bared my fangs at her in frustration, making her flinch slightly and snapping her from her rage for a few seconds before she strengthened her resolve. "Yes, I do realize who he is," I told her, my voice low. "And yes, I do realize that is what people call him. But he has changed. He saved my life during my S-Class Trial. He no longer kills unless it is absolutely necessary and you need to accept the fact that you're still angry over what happened to you and Jellal, so you want to take it out on Zeref."

"Timara, I wish you hadn't done that," Zeref quietly said to me and I knew without looking that he had that melancholy expression again.

"Shut up, Zeref," I growled. "I'm not going to let anyone kill you just because you feel like you need to atone for your sins from your past."

"I don't understand you sometimes," Zeref whispered. "Why do you insist on keeping me alive? I've done such terrible things."

I pushed Erza away while she was in shock at my words before and she walked away towards the others with the sword she held in her hand disappearing. I whipped around to face the former Dark Wizard and made the sword I had wink out of existence as I stepped closer to him to look him in the eyes, glaring at him in my fury. "I keep you alive because you shouldn't squander the new life you've been given," I said. "I've killed people, too, and I'm still living. Your misguided attempts at death are an insult to my attempts to survive."

"Survive…?" He looked puzzled as he watched me, but he took a step back after observing my dangerous attitude.

"Yes, survive. I have accepted my past because it's not something I can change. I can't go back to stop those men from attacking me and almost killing me. I especially can't protect my past self from them so that I never needed to unleash my demons upon them. What I can do is live every day to the fullest and protect as many helpless people as I possibly can so that another person never has to go through what I did again."

"So no dying anytime soon?" he asked me.

"That's right," I told him.

I grabbed him by the arm and led him over to the magic vehicle, taking the seat behind the controls and Zeref sat beside me. Erza explained that the control stick was how the vehicle was steered and then slipped a band around my wrist that hooked with a tube that was attached to the vehicle, saying that it took my magic energy and made it move. I could make it stop or go depending on how much magic energy I expended. Everyone piled in except for Natsu, who walked up to me with a strange expression that was akin to jealousy.

"Want me to sit up here with you?" he asked me.

I barely had any time to open my mouth to answer when he climbed up next to me and sat down. I was now squished between two people who seemed keen on getting as close to me as possible as they shifted in the seat that wasn't meant to have this many people sitting on it. Thankfully, there were guard rails on either side that would keep them from falling out. Lucy and Happy pulled open the curtain to ask me something, saw that Natsu wasn't going to go inside the cab with them, then turned back to tell Gray to just shut the door.

With just a little bit of magic released into the vehicle until I got the hang of it, it rolled forth at a leisurely pace. I heard a groan of misery as Natsu slumped against me and laid his head on my left shoulder. We were barely moving and he was already getting motion sickness. I wanted to laugh until I felt my own stomach begin to churn uncomfortably and remembered that I sometimes got motion sickness as well. I gritted my teeth and kept the vehicle moving despite Natsu's pitiful noises from being sick. We reached the west gate that led out of the city as the guards opened it for us and I pushed the magic vehicle to a pace that was quick but would allow me to keep it going all day and night. Natsu groaned again as I turned the vehicle into a northwesterly direction.

"Natsu, you better not throw up on me," I said sternly. "If you do, I will toss you off this seat and beat you senseless."

"I'm not going to," he croaked and wrapped his arms around his stomach. "Being next to you makes it a little better."

"Why is it that he's sick and you're not?" Zeref asked me curiously. "I thought it was a Dragon Slayer weakness to get motion sickness."

"I am feeling sick, it's just not nearly as bad as Natsu's," I told him as my stomach gurgled painfully.

I concentrated on driving so that I wouldn't pay attention to my stomach anymore, barely even noticing as Tyger crawled down to my lap to take a nap. I watched our familiar surroundings go past us and we delved into unknown territory for me. I followed the road that led to the northwest and kept driving at my grueling pace. I listened to the group in the back chattering on about something they found interesting and I watched the trees go by along the road. After half the day was gone and I was still keeping the same pace from before, Lucy popped her head out of the curtain.

"Erza wants to know if you need to switch with someone for a while," she said, waving at Tyger, who had peeked her head out from my hair to give Lucy a smile.

"I can keep going until nightfall," I told her confidently. "If need be, I'll eat a few shadows and be fine again."

"Alright, Timara!" she said cheerily. "Oh, and how is Natsu doing?"

With his head still on my shoulder, he made a grumbly noise and weakly waved his hand to acknowledge her words. "He's not in the best condition," I said with a small smile. "I think he'll be ok though. Just looks a bit green around the edges."

We watched as a river wound next to the road and water birds swam on the water's surface, the water sparkling in the sunlight. A few minutes later, we finally saw our first sign of mankind as a carriage with a huge boar pulling it drove by, the driver giving us a funny look as we went by. I guess they weren't used to seeing anything like this vehicle before. The irrational part of me that never left since that fateful day dearly hoped that the people around here were used to magic.

I slowed down when I saw a village approaching and Natsu sat up a little to look around. The vehicle moved at a leisurely pace as it reached the outskirts of the village and we saw people looking at us through the windows. I thought they looked almost… afraid as their curtains fluttered closed. Children ran back inside as fast as their little legs could once we came into view and I knew something had been going on.

"Why do you think they're just leaving like that?" Zeref asked me quietly.

"I don't know and that's what bothers me," I said, my voice low so that outsiders couldn't hear me. "They distrust new faces, which means something went awry here."

When we made it over to the main square of the village, a man with fancy looking clothes that almost seemed out of place for this small outcropping of people came over to block our way. He had a permanent scowl on his face and he glared up at the three of us behind the controls. A few more people swarmed out of the building with him, seeming equally as stern as the first man.

"Stop right there!" the first guy yelled as I pulled up in front of them. "I want you all to turn back! We don't like your kind here!"

"Our kind?" I asked as I looked down at the man.

"Yes, wizards!" he shouted. "We've had enough troubles with them for longer than we'd like!"

"These wizards… do you know who they are?" I questioned the man and he looked awfully suspicious.

"They said they were from Dark Unicorn," he told me. "They show up at night and attack the village, taking all our money and valuables."

"Why don't you allow for us to stay here for a few hours until they attack again? Then, we can take care of the problem for you and you'll never have to deal with them anymore."

"Why would you want to do that?" another man asked me, glaring at me as if I was taunting them with false hope.

"Because we're from Fairy Tail and we don't just ignore people in need of help," I explained.

The leader watched me warily before nodding, so I pulled the magic vehicle over to the side and we all hopped out. Natsu looked much better now that he was on solid ground and was back to his usual eccentric self. The leader of the village, a man by the name of Goemon, let us stay in the large building for now until nightfall. He got us some food and I ate with Tyger, giving her little bits of chicken that she gobbled up greedily. I giggled as I almost lost a finger or two a few times before she finally fell over onto her back and slept, her belly swollen from all the food she'd eaten. I watched as Goemon came over to sit across from me in a chair on the other side of the table.

"Listen, I just wanted to apologize for how you all were treated when you first arrived," he said, his words sounding sincere. "We've just had a lot of bad luck here and everyone is skittish of newcomers."

"I understand where you're coming from," I told him calmly. "When I was a child, I had a difficult time around large groups of people that were bigger than I was. The only thing is that I learned the hard way that hiding won't help the situation."

Goemon nodded as he listened to me. "I've been the village manager for about two years when they showed up a few months ago. They had magic weapons and took the children playing in the streets as hostages until we gave them everything they wanted. Now they take a cut of our money every night and almost eat us out of house and home."

"Don't worry," I said. "We'll put an end to this. Depending on if you want the violent or nonviolent way, we'll keep them from coming back."

"I'd prefer if we did this without violence," Goemon said to me. "Violence has a tendency to escalate whereas fear lasts for a long time. What exactly do you have in mind for that option?"

"Oh, you'll see," I told him with a grin. "My magic is plenty scary as is."

I asked for Zeref to keep an eye on Ty as I left the building of the village manager, heading back down the road we entered the village from. I heard shouting from behind me as Natsu ran out of the building after me. He ran to me and stopped once he was by my side and we walked along the road until we reached the outskirts of the village. Finding a big stick on the side of the road, I picked it up and poured my magic into it before digging it into the earth.

"What are you doing?" he asked me curiously.

"I'm warding the village against Dark Guilds," I told him. "The village manager asked for a nonviolent solution and I have the perfect idea for it."

I dragged the stick along behind me, leaving a deep black groove in the ground as I walked along the outside of the village. It took about half an hour to go full circle, the sun falling down below the horizon as the sky turned orange. There was now a large black circle surrounding the village and a few people had gathered outside their homes to watch what I was doing. I inscribed a few symbols on the inside of the circle, crouching down to dig the stick even deeper into the earth. I placed my palm over them and they started to glow a blue black color, a dome of shadows forming over the town for the briefest of seconds before blinking out of sight. Content with my work, I got up and snapped the stick, tossing it out of the circle before walking back into the village.

"So what's your plan?" he called to me as he ran to catch up.

"You'll just have to wait and see!" I yelled back with a grin.

A few hours after dusk, there was a howling noise off in the distance, whoops and cries that were loud enough to carry to the village. It was time for the Dark Guild to arrive and we all gathered at the edge of the village to wait. I stood outside the circle with Tyger sitting on my shoulder, gently kicking her legs out and the heels of her feet smacked into my collarbone. I could hear the villagers nervous chattering as I could see a swarm of people running in our direction. They all had a spike in their hair that looked like a unicorn's horn and they hooted and hollered once they caught sight of me. They slid to a halt about fifty feet away and the leader took a step forward, slamming his huge glaive into the ground and making the earth rumble threateningly.

"Look at this pretty little thing, men!" he laughed, turning his head towards the large group behind him and giving them an arrogant grin. "I think she's a good prize for this night's pillaging!"

I gave them a blank look as the wind picked up, which seemed to unnerve a few of them before saying, "I am the great demon, Wyvernia. I have been contracted by this village to drive you away and ensure that you never return. Leave this place now or else."

"Or else what, honey? I don't think you're strong enough to beat me," he said as he looked me up and down. I contained my disgust and continued my blank stare.

"Or else my demon horde will attack you and chase you off," I said with a hiss.

I lifted my fist straight into the air quickly, my shadowy wings seeming to rip from my back as the circle surrounding the village lit up with that same blue black light. A cascading wall of shadows shot up from the circle as demons of all shapes and sizes crawled out from it, the wall rippling like water as they pulled themselves free. Hisses and growls could be heard ripping from their throats as they walked up to me. Dropping my arm down to my side with a maniacal grin and spreading my wings, the demons roared and shrieked as they rushed at the Dark Guild. All of them immediately turned around and ran with screams of fear, the leader taking off soon after when he realized that he no longer had any allies to stand up with him. The shadow demons raced after them, some of them snapping at their heels while the winged ones swooped down to swipe at their heads, missing them by inches and only frightening them more.

I whipped around to face the villagers as the circle died down, making my wings disappear as I clapped my hands together once and held them. "Now you won't have to worry about them anymore!" I told them as I walked in their direction. A few of them looked a bit scared of my magic but I just shook my head slightly. Still more people that feared me and my comfort with shadows, I thought to myself. I felt my irrational side stir in wait for their reaction.

"Thank you so much," the village manager told me, bowing his head in respect as his subordinates followed suit. The rest of the village saw them and did the same, their fear disappearing as they realized that there was nothing to be afraid of.

"You're very welcome," I said, nodding in acknowledgement.

The village manager asked the innkeeper to allow us to stay the night before we headed out in the morning. There were enough rooms for us to each have our own and I made my way up to mine. I locked my door behind me and noticed the rustic look about the room. Crawling under the scarlet covers, I picked up the sleepy kitten and set her down beside me. I looked out at the sky outside the window from my position and watched as clouds began to cover up the stars. I saw lightning flicker from cloud to cloud before I closed my eyes and was pulled into unconsciousness.

* * *

I heard a sinister laugh as I opened my eyes, a sharp feeling of dread making me gasp as I saw the column of darkness surrounding me. Before I could be sent to the ground like all the other times before this, I screamed in rage and rushed at the wall, slamming my fists into it as hard as I could. The laugh carried on as I continued to hit it with all I had, my knuckles splitting open with the force of my punches and the blood seemed to be absorbed into the dark wall.

For such a lowly human, you sure are persistent. I can't wait to crush you again.

I felt a blast of wind send me flying against the opposite side, making me gasp as the air rushed from my lungs. Before I could hit the ground, two black spikes ripped through the wall and slid between the bones of my arms just below my wrists. Blood poured forth at a rapid speed and I bit my lip hard enough that my fangs pierced the skin. I kicked my feet and tried to rock forward far enough to slide along the spikes to get free, but that only made the bleeding worse. I knew I wasn't going to stay alive in this nightmare long enough to get my revenge and I hissed out a breath.

I can reach out and kill you at any time, whether it's during your waking moments or your sleeping ones. Stop protecting The Black Wizard and I will allow you to live before I raze the world to the ground and start anew.

I allowed my head to slump down against my chest as I laughed weakly. "If you think I'm just going to let you do this, then you're dead wrong," I said with a wan smile. "I'm never going to give up until you're defeated. I'd rather die than let you do this."

You're going to be the first one I'll need to take care of then. I can't have you getting in my way.

I heard the same sinister laughter again as I saw the wall ripple and shift, then heard a noise that sounded like something was whistling. I looked up to see a large spike like the other two heading straight towards me. There was nothing I could do to avoid it, not since I wasn't able to move to dodge incoming attacks. The only thing I could do was watch in slow motion as the spike came closer and pierced through my heart to the other side of the column of darkness. I looked down in horror as I saw the spike sticking out of my chest and slumped forward, my life leaving me as the blood drained out of me.

* * *

I woke with a start, clutching at my chest groggily before realizing that I no longer had the spike stabbed through me anymore. I shook in exhaustion and distress, still feeling the pain from the nightmare and looking down at my arms to see dark bruises where the spikes kept me pinned to the wall. I looked outside the window to see that it was thankfully morning and I took a sleeping Ty in my arms as I walked out to the magic vehicle where everyone was waiting. I was a few steps away from the bench behind the controls when my legs gave way and I fell to the ground before feeling someone's arms around me. Once again, there was Natsu to catch me before I fell and for a few seconds I took comfort in the simple contact then got back onto my feet. I pulled myself up onto the bench beside Zeref and Natsu grabbed my hand to make me look at him.

"Are you ok?" he asked me, concern practically written on his face.

"I had another nightmare," I sighed before turning back to pull the band around my wrist and started up the vehicle.

Once everyone was finally settled in, we thanked Goemon for the hospitality and we were on our way. Natsu was once again slumped against me with his head on my shoulder as he groaned from being sick and I didn't once feel my motion sickness make its presence known through the haze of exhaustion. I pushed myself hard enough that I had to eat a few shadows along the way to keep my magic energy at manageable levels. Zeref kept sneaking worried looks at me when he thought I wasn't looking but I ignored it, instead concentrating on the fact that the meeting place my brother chose was slowly drawing nearer.

After about ten denied requests to take the driver's seat to give me a rest, it was sunset again and I saw the large forest drawing nearer, lights from within lighting a path through the tunnel of trees. I slowed the vehicle down as the forest swallowed us whole and took the dying light of the sun with it. I saw a tiny town drawing closer and finally we saw the town square with a large fire pit in the middle. Standing before the fire was a familiar figure and a green cat in a pink frog suit. I stopped the vehicle and practically hopped over Natsu, setting Tyger down on the hood and walking towards my brother.

He looked almost the same as I had remembered him as a child, only his hair's now much longer and messier as it covered up his right eye entirely. He watched me with the one blood red eye that could see past his hair, a look that seemed to be prepared for anything I might throw at him as he kept his body covered with a long black cape trimmed with gold. He tensed up when I rushed at him faster than he could see, appearing before him and punching him in the left eye as hard as I could. I heard Tyger squeak in shock as she leapt off the hood and flew with the wing that wasn't splinted, making it pretty far before she had to land and run the rest of the way towards us.

"Rogue, no!" my brother's cat squealed as it tried to rush to us but Tyger intercepted it. She hissed fiercely and took threatening steps towards the cat, making it back off in fright.

"So, this is how you treat someone you haven't seen in a decade?" Rogue asked me with a grin while he was on his back on the ground, rubbing his eye for it must have stung.

"No, just you," I growled at him.

He hopped to his feet and launched himself at me, throwing punches that I could easily block. I was always the speedy one during Skiadrum's training while he was the powerhouse, so we were always evenly matched back in the day. I dodged between punches and hit him as hard as I could in the stomach, making the breath whoosh from his lungs as he fell backwards. With an evil grin, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me with him, using his feet to kick me hard over him as he hit the ground. I flipped and smacked into the earth before scrambling to my feet as my ribs creaked. I looked over at my group of friends to see them holding back a struggling Natsu before rushing at Rogue again, who grabbed hold of my arm and twisted it painfully. I swept my leg out to swipe him in the back of the knees, sending us both into a heap on the ground. I smacked a fist into the shadows below us and pushed us both through.

To the others, we were our own extended shadows pushed back by the fire, black figures punching and kicking at each other with the eyes lit up against the grass. One of the shadows silently roared before tackling the other, both of us sent flying back into the air and into the light. As I landed on top of Rogue and lifted my fist to punch him again, I was sent flying as he bucked beneath me. We were breathing heavily for a few seconds, standing there without saying a word before we ran at each other with a scream. We were about to clash again when someone grabbed us by the collar and lifted us into the air.

"That's enough!" a voice I didn't recognize said as I looked down to see a man with spiky blonde hair glaring at us. "You're both evenly matched. I'd rather not have to watch you both die in a foolhardy attempt at beating the other. By the way, Rogue, you didn't tell me that your sister's hot."

"Shut up!" we both said simultaneously before thrashing in his grip.

He laughed and then tossed us to the ground, making us smack our heads together on accident. I clutched my skull in pain as I looked up at the man who was now grinning down at me. "It's nice to finally meet you, Timara," he said as a red and pink cat with a blue vest appeared from behind him. "My name is Sting Eucliffe and this little guy is Lector. I've heard so much about you that I feel as if I know you personally. Rogue never stops talking about you."

I looked at Sting, then at Rogue, then back at Sting again, puzzled at this turn of events. It couldn't be possible that Rogue actually cared enough about me to tell someone else… could it?


	7. Pieces of my Missing Past

**Hello again! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story for so long! I figured it was about time to have some excitement and I put a lot of thought about what should happen! I think you'll love what I have in store for the characters!**

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**Chapter 7: Pieces of my Missing Past**

As I stared up at Sting in shock, I heard a shrill cry as a pink frog suit ran past me and jumped at Rogue, the cat crying as Rogue caught it. I felt a tapping against my leg and looked down to see Tyger with a tiny evil smile. I picked her up and placed her on my shoulder, rubbing her cheek against mine with a mew of pride.

"Did you have to be mean to Rogue's partner?" I asked her and she gave me a big grin.

"The frog tried to get in your way!" Ty said.

"So you stand up to someone who is much bigger than you?" I asked with a laugh. Ty only giggled as she hugged me and I just couldn't be mad with her.

"Hey, keep that tiger cub of yours away from my Frosch!" Rogue growled at me and I glared back at him.

"My Tyger can do as she pleases," I told him.

Sting walked over and offered me a hand, so I took it and he pulled me up onto my feet. He took a piece of my hair between his fingers, rolling it between his index finger and thumb before having to release it because Ty tried to bite him. I heard a yell from my group of friends, but I didn't pay attention as Sting walked over to Rogue and pulled him upwards as well. Rogue looked back at the group of people that came along with me and sighed.

"What part of 'don't bring a small army with you' did you not understand?" he asked me.

"It's alright, Rogue," Sting said. "I'm ok with it. Judging by the looks they're all giving us, I'd have to say that they all cared enough about your little sister to come along to watch out for her."

Before we all headed towards the inn for dinner, Wendy ran over to heal both of our injuries from our fight. Even though I protested against it, she healed his black eye that I wanted to keep because it would show to his guild that his sister beat him up. She healed all our cuts and bruises with a smile before we all walked to the inn. The innkeeper gave us large quantities of food, which we had to grab our food quickly before the male Dragon Slayers ate it all. I was sitting in between Zeref and Natsu, both of them eerily quiet as they carried on eating. Once all the food was gone, we all went our separate ways to our rooms. I locked my door behind me, set down the now sleeping kitten on the bed, and then headed straight for the window where I opened it to climb up to the roof. Through the branches and leaves up above me, I could see the stars as they burned brightly in the night sky and I sat down to gaze up at them.

"I knew I'd find you up here," I heard a voice say behind me and I turned around to see Zeref. He walked over to me and sat beside me, looking up at the stars from in between the leaves as well. "So why'd you start that fight with your brother?"

"I had always wanted to ever since he killed Skiadrum," I told him simply.

"Is that the only reason why?" he asked me, looking back to my eyes.

"Does it really matter?" I said, my voice low.

"I guess not. I just don't understand the people of this era well and fighting someone who was like a sibling for no reason is a bit of a foreign concept for me."

"We tend to do strange things in this day and age."

We stayed silent for a while after that, just listening to the sounds of the forest and of the people within the inn stirring. There was a rustling noise from below and I looked down to see my brother sneaking out of the inn. I didn't think anything of it until about ten minutes later I heard some more rustling and looked down to see Natsu sneaking off in the same direction that my brother was heading. I turned over to ask Zeref what he made of the situation only to find that he had disappeared.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me," I said to myself.

Jumping up onto a branch not far from me, I jumped from tree to tree to where they were going. There was a bit of a clearing further into the woods that was far enough away from the town that no one could see or hear if anything happened. I saw twin fires light up and I groaned, already having a hunch that something was about to go down. I jumped to a tree on the outskirts of the clearing and looked down upon it to see Natsu and Rogue standing thirty feet away from each other, glaring fiercely and Natsu's fists were on fire.

"This should be interesting," I heard a voice say and startling me enough that I fell off the branch. I wrapped my arms and legs around the branch at the last second, sighing in relief at the close call and looking up to see Zeref a branch above me to watch the scene about to unfold.

"I thought I sensed someone following me," Rogue said calmly. "You should know better than to hide within the shadows when that's my specialty. Why are you here?"

"You hurt her," Natsu growled. "She might have punched you, but you didn't have to fight back. Now you're going to pay!"

"She's my sister," Rogue explained. "We used to do this sort of thing all the time. I don't see why this is such a big deal to you."

"I care about her!" the Fire Dragon Slayer yelled. "And you hurt her! You don't get to do that again!"

Natsu ran at him, throwing punches as hard as he could but only connecting once with a punch to Rogue's jaw. Rogue shook it off before fighting back with a snarl and it soon became a battle of wills. The shadows and flames erupted around them as they tried to take each other out. With a punch that sent them both flying, they landed back on their feet before using their Dragon's Roar. It sent a blast wave that nearly knocked both Zeref and me out of the tree. I knew right then that I needed to stop the fight now before they destroyed the whole forest.

They ran at each other again as I jumped down from the tree, leaping in front of them to stop the fight and Rogue slid to a halt. Natsu growled as I got in his way and tried to run around me after my brother, so I did the only thing I could think to do to distract him. I grabbed him by the scarf to make him look at me and then kissed him. He made a noise of surprise at first, but then grabbed me by the waist to pull me closer as he kissed me back. He gave me a lazy grin when I pulled away, still keeping his hold on my sides as I gave him a stern look.

"Wow," was all he said, sounding content.

"You, stop fighting with my brother or this," I said as I paused for a few seconds, moving my finger back and forth between the two of us to indicate that I was talking about what we just did, "will never happen again. We fought all the time before so this was typical for us. I don't need you to defend my honor because I can do it myself. Got it?"

"Whatever you say," he told me sullenly, so he must not have been happy with my decision.

"And as for you, brother," I said, turning my head a bit to the side to look at a now beet red Rogue, whose eyes were wide in shock at what I just did in front of him, "you don't get to fight Natsu right now. That's not why we came here. If you're going to start a fight with anyone from Fairy Tail, it will be with me, understand?"

He made a few choked noises in an attempt to speak before he just nodded his head quickly. He looked at his surroundings as if he didn't know what to do next before hurrying off down the path back to the town. I stood on my toes and placed my arms on Natsu's shoulders to balance myself as I looked for Zeref in the trees, but it seemed as if he had already left. Natsu took it as the perfect opportunity to lean in and brush his nose lightly against the curve of my neck, inhaling my scent in a laidback manner and making me jump a little in surprise. With an impish growl, I smacked his shoulder as I walked away towards town as well, Natsu chuckling as he followed right behind me. I felt his fingers slide between mine and we held hands all the way back to the inn. When we finally made it up to our floor, I kissed him quickly goodnight, he handed me something before I unlocked my door, and opened it to see an angry looking kitten.

"Where have you been?" she asked, those red eyes of hers blazing in fury.

"I was on the roof watching the stars when I saw Rogue and Natsu sneaking off somewhere," I explained to her. "They were fighting and I had to break it up."

"Why didn't you take me?" she asked, still looking mad.

"Because you were sleeping, Ty, and you're still a kitten so you need your rest."

"I _hate_ being so little," Tyger whispered furiously. "It means I'm weak."

I set down the object that Natsu gave me, picking her up as she squirmed in protest and held her so that she was eye level with me. "Just because you are little, doesn't mean that you are weak. Back in the old days, Dragon Slayers killed dragons all the time and they were much smaller than them. You've been through a lot in your short life and you are one of the strongest friends I know."

"Do you really mean it, Mara?" she asked me, her anger gone and replaced with pure joy.

"Of course I do! Why would I lie?"

I hugged her to me as she giggled happily, flying down to the pillow as I picked up what Natsu handed me before we separated for the night. I gasped when I saw the little dream catcher. I had almost forgotten about it entirely and I could still feel Natsu's magic on it from the fight earlier. I crawled under the blankets and rested my head next to Ty, keeping the little dream catcher in my hand and hoping that this would work at least temporarily.

* * *

The menacing laughter was back again and I cringed, but it wasn't until I felt another presence with me that I became suspicious. I felt arms come around me and I flinched, crying out and trying my best to escape from whatever torture was surely in store for me next. I heard a familiar voice cutting through the panic that was overwhelming me, turning my head to the side only to flinch again in surprise.

"Natsu…?" I whispered, my eyes wide as I stopped moving altogether.

"Where are we?" he asked, glaring at the wall of darkness surrounding us.

"We're in the nightmare that I'm always stuck in whenever I fall asleep," I told him, pressing my back against his chest when I heard the ominous laughter reverberate throughout the dreamscape.

Well, well, what do we have here? Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer, son of Igneel, comes to the rescue. I applaud you, Timara Wyvernia, for somehow sneaking him into my dream world. However, it was a poor decision on your part.

"Who are you," Natsu yelled, looking around while his grip around me tightened protectively, "and how do you know us?"

I know everything I need to about the wizards who will soon be in my collection. I require The Black Wizard, Zeref. The female Shadow Dragon Slayer refuses to deliver him to me so until she does, I must attempt to break her will and make her my slave.

"You leave her alone!" he shouted.

I could all of a sudden hear a strange buzzing noise that kept increasing in volume. I looked up and saw a strange lightning rod pointing straight down at us and it was crackling with electricity. I squirmed out of Natsu's hold and pushed him away as hard as I could, making him slam into the wall of darkness just as the bolts came down on me. I screamed in pain, my body crashing down to the ground against my will and I shuddered as my muscles locked together. Natsu yelled to me and tried to run to me, but I put a shadow rope around his wrist to keep him tethered there. Mercifully, the lightning stopped after about fifteen seconds and I closed my eyes, panting heavily and lying still from fatigue.

"I'll kill you!" he yelled in fury, pulling at the rope hard and making it snap in two as he ran over to me. The buzzing started back up again and I couldn't move, not even when he gathered me into his arms and hunched over me to protect me from the electricity.

"Natsu… no…" I managed to wheeze out as the buzzing got louder.

"I'm not going to leave you alone," he told me, holding me tighter to him just as the lightning shot down.

He yelled as it jolted through him and travelled to me, making me shake as I whimpered at the pain. I felt him try to take the brunt of the shock, but it didn't do much to help as I slowly faded from the dream in a haze of anguish.

* * *

I sat up quickly as I was forced awake, still feeling my skin crawl from the bolts of electricity. Dawn was about to break and I had this sinking feeling about something. It then hit me like a ton of bricks being dropped on me. Natsu was in that nightmare and I left him there. I practically fell out of bed and ran to the door, Tyger still heavily asleep as I opened it and closed it again as quietly as I could. I rushed the few feet to Natsu's door, turning the doorknob slightly to test it to see if it was unlocked and it luckily was. I ran inside to see a very worried Happy standing beside his prone form, looking worried as Natsu made noises of agony and writhed under the covers.

"Help, I don't know what's wrong with him!" Happy cried, looking as if he was going to panic. "I just woke up and he was already like this!"

"I'm so sorry, Happy," I told him calmly as I sat beside Natsu, placing my palm over his forehead. His skin felt sweaty and feverish from the nightmare as he groaned again. "He somehow got sucked into my nightmares and can't get back out."

"How is he still in there while you're awake?" Happy asked me, moving closer to watch what I was going to do next.

"I think it's because the creature in my nightmares latched onto him after I died within the dreamscape."

I used my magic to pull the nightmare from him, beneath my hand glowed blue black and I shuddered as the dream went back to my mind. I saw him getting electrified and shuddered as I felt it instead. I saw him calm down as he slowly opened his eyes, relief evident on his face as he sighed. I shook from the remnants of the nightmare I pulled him from as he sat up and grabbed the hand that had previously been on his forehead.

"Are you alright?" he asked me quietly, his eyes searching mine as I slowly stopped shaking.

"I should be the one asking you that question," I told him. "You were just locked into my nightmare."

"Speaking of that, how _did _I show up in your dreams the way I did?"

"The dream catcher," I said to him. "You had it with you when you fought Rogue, so it still had your magic all over it, which can only mean that these dreams are caused by magic as well."

"Who was that in the dream?" he whispered.

"I have a hunch, but I don't want to say yet because I'm not entirely sure that I'm right."

I stood up and went back to my room, noticing that the town was slowly lighting up outside the window so dawn was already past. I woke up Tyger, who swiped her paws at me sleepily in an attempt to get some rest for a few minutes longer, and we went downstairs for breakfast where everyone else was waiting. I had a few pancakes while Tyger stole food from Zeref whenever he wasn't looking. I stifled my laughter when Zeref finally noticed, gave the kitten a wry smile, but continued to let her steal his food.

Rogue and Sting agreed that it was time to lead us to Sabertooth's guild hall. They told us that we had to leave the vehicle behind in the town because the path we were going to take was too small through the trees and it eventually got too rocky. We all left the inn and followed the two Sabertooth Dragon Slayers to a path to the north. A few miles into the walk, the trees thickened so that we could only walk two by two. Wendy walked beside me, chatting on about how it was so cool that we were going to see another guild and that we got to see some more Dragon Slayers. I rolled my eyes at the last bit and shook my head, which only had her laughing at me. Rogue's cat kept looking back at me for some reason and then I realized it was because it was keeping an eye on Tyger, who kept smiling evilly at it.

"Stop taunting Frosch, Ty," I sighed, laughing a little when she huffed but agreed. Rogue looked back at me with a glare before going back to the conversation he was having with Sting.

There was a bout of yelling from behind me and I turned around to see Natsu and Gray arguing again. I was about to snap my fingers and send my shadows after them when I saw Erza grab their heads and slam them together. She yelled something about them behaving for the rest of the walk as they clutched their heads and nodded.

As she walked up towards me as we carried on along the path, I turned back to her with a grin and said, "It's an honor as always to work with you, Erza!"

She laughed and I turned back to see the trees beginning to thin, bright light filtering through the trees as we approached the edge of the woods. After stepping out into the sunlight and blinking a few times, down below in the basin of the valley in front of the mountains was a large structure with a statue at the very top depicting a saber-toothed cat. There was a flag on a jagged cliff with the Sabertooth insignia printed on it and the pyramid like building towered behind it.

"Welcome to Sabertooth," Sting said with a grin.

"Wait just a minute!" Erza yelled to him. "We can't just waltz down there like this! You're guild master will surely find our numbers to be an act of war!"

"No, he won't," Rogue told her simply. "Sting here _is _the guild master."

"Our previous one tried to kill Lector, so I killed him first," Sting told us, a hardened glint in his eyes. "And I didn't like your small army at first, but then I realized you guys are alright. Especially your Shadow Dragon Slayer. I like her." He smiled at me mischievously and I rolled my eyes.

"Of course you do," I told him. "So far, the feeling isn't mutual."

His grin got even wider as he turned to my brother. "I _really_ like her. Let's recruit her."

Before any of us could protest, especially me, Rogue said, "I wouldn't go down that road with her. She's already told me her feelings about our guild and that she'd rather die than leave hers. She's a member of Fairy Tail, through and through."

"Damn, that's tragic," he said as he led us down the rocky hill towards their guild.

We all went down the hill and saw a girl running towards us, looking happy to the two Dragon Slayers. She wore a teal tank top and skirt that were different shades, her hair a light blue color and her eyes were a warm chocolate brown. Around her waist was a belt with a small pouch at her right hip that jingled as she ran and I had the feeling that it must have held celestial spirit keys like Lucy. We met her halfway and she launched herself at the Dragon Slayers, tackling them to the ground with a laugh. They groaned with mock exasperation, trying to keep their smiles hidden from her as she hugged them tightly. After a few seconds, she let them up as she stood herself, a bright smile lighting up her face.

She finally noticed us and waved happily. "Hello! My name is Yukino Aguria! Nice to meet you all!" She turned to Sting and said, "You weren't supposed to leave, Sting! You said you'd let Rogue lead them back!"

"It was a good thing I left, too," he told her with a grin. "His sister is a fireball. He nearly got his ass kicked by her."

"I can already tell which one is his sister, too!" she said with a laugh. "She wears the same serious expression that he does!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rogue and I both asked with a stern look. I could hear snickering behind me and saw Gray and Natsu clap their hands over their mouths in an attempt to cover their laughter. Zeref, who was standing beside them, had his head tilted to the side in confusion before looking back to me. He shrugged, not bothering to try to understand the situation.

Sting led us along towards a building near the edge of the basin that was just far away enough that we wouldn't disturb anyone. He said that some of their guild didn't approve of large numbers appearing within the guild hall so we were allowed to stay just outside of it. It was about the size of Fairy Tail's basement and had enough rooms for all of us. As they all went in, Rogue grabbed me by the arm to stop me.

"We need to have our talk now," he said, his face blank with his words.

I nodded and was about to follow him when Natsu walked back out of the building to look for me. When he caught sight of me, I waved him back inside. "Rogue and I are going to talk about something," I told him, giving him a small smile as Rogue stopped to wait for me.

Natsu looked over at my brother and glared. "Don't hurt her again," he said before walking back inside without looking back.

Ty sat up as her attention was caught by the fact that we were about to have a talk and Frosch, who was walking beside Rogue, cringed a bit and walked closer to him. He took us around to a spot behind the cliff with the Sabertooth flag, a small humble house sitting in the shadows of it. I smiled, shaking my head at the fact that Rogue would choose this spot for his house. It was just like him to keep to old habits we were taught by Skiadrum. He opened the door for me and we walked inside, this part of the house was just as humble as the outside. He led me into the living room, pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace while Frosch sat down on the couch nearby.

"You might want to sit down," he said, refusing to look at me.

I did as he said, sitting down in a chair opposite of him and setting Tyger down on my lap. "So what is it that you had me come all this way to tell me?"

He looked panicked, which was the first time I had ever seen him like this before he said in a rush, "I'm your brother."

I shook my head. "Rogue, I know that. We were adopted by the same dragon."

"No, Timara!" he yelled, startling us all before he sighed, making himself calm down. "I don't mean it in that way. I'm your real brother. We're related by blood."

I froze instantly, staring up at him in a state of denial and not able to move at all. He paced even more, clutching his head in his hands as he kept moving. Ty looked at me and tapped my arm with a paw to try to get my attention but I didn't feel it. How could this be? My thoughts swirled painfully and my head began to ache, a place deep within me tearing open further, a feeling I hadn't experienced since the beginning of my dark life.

"How?" was all I could manage to say, my voice sounding flat even to my ears.

"Our mother's name was Akari and our father's was Ryuga. We both inherited our mother's dark hair while you got her golden eyes. In fact, you look just like her," he said with a weak smile, finally looking me in the eyes. "I look like our father except for the fact that he had snowy white hair, but I have his red eyes. They were always kind to us and others in our village. I'm just a year older than you and I always looked out for you. One day, we both discovered that we could play with the shadows, just like our mom could."

"Rogue… what happened to them?" I asked, my body beginning to shake.

He sighed, covering his eyes with his hands for a few seconds before he let them drop down to his sides. "When I was six and you were five, we went on a trip to the lake near the mountain, the one rumored to hold a dragon. Our parents wanted to have a picnic there and let us swim, just to have a little vacation and spend a little family time. We had just eaten lunch and were about to go swimming when a large group of people all dressed in black appeared. They demanded that we give them all our money and valuables or they would kill us all. We didn't have any on us and they threatened us with gun magic.

"Our mother made me take you and run away, just before she erupted into shadows. It was the first time I was scared of her since she looked like a demon sent straight from hell. She gave me a small smile that lessened my fear and I ran off to the hill overlooking the lake. I watched as our mother attacked the group and then our father joined in the fray. He was an expert at Light Magic and another type of Lost Magic I hadn't heard of before, something called Blood Magic. All he had to do was prick his finger and then lash out with a whip made from blood.

"I was crying by the time I saw the group of people overpower our parents. It wasn't until I was about to run down to them when I realized that you were gone. I looked everywhere to find you, but it was if you had just disappeared off the face of the earth. I ran back to our parents to see if they were ok and to help me find you, only to discover that they were killed by the group of people that had already left the scene. They were holding each other in death and I screamed in sadness when a huge creature landed. It was Skiadrum, who said he would take me in so that I wouldn't have to be alone. We tried to find you, but I thought that those evil people must have found you and killed you, so I mourned your loss along with our parents. It wasn't until Skiadrum brought a little girl back to his lair six months later that I realized that you had been living right under our noses the entire time.

"I didn't know it was you right away when he brought you there since I couldn't get a good look at you. He said that you were in the village right beside the mountain. That was a town that was notorious for being magic haters. It was a wonder that you hadn't been killed earlier than that. Then when you came out from behind the demons you conjured and Skiadrum's legs, I got a good look at your hair and your eyes and I knew who you were. I just didn't have the heart to tell you."

"Why…?" I growled, shaking from rage now. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"You'd been through so much already, I didn't want to tell a girl who could only remember pain that her big brother had been nearby and hadn't saved her. I couldn't do that to you right then. Skiadrum told me that he'd keep my secret for me and he did until the day he died."

I stood up unnaturally fast, catching Ty before she could fall and making Rogue flinch. I think he expected me to punch him again but I felt as if I was going to be sick. I walked to the door and then formed my wings easily from the shadows of the cliff, then flew off. I didn't know where I was going to go, just that I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. I couldn't hear anything past the rushing wind as I flew as fast as I could, even though I could feel Tyger's tiny paws hitting me in an attempt to get me to pay attention. Tears fell down my cheeks as a sob escaped my lips, my vision turning blurry and I had to hover for a few seconds. With the hand that wasn't holding the kitten, I quickly wiped the tears that still refused to stop falling just long enough to see a cave. It was about a mile away from the guild hall and I flew down to it, the stalactites and stalagmites edging it reminding me of the past with the great dragon. I didn't sense any creatures within that were predators so I set Tyger down before walking further in. The tears fell heavily once more and I managed to trip, cutting myself on a few sharp rocks and the blood dripped from my arms and legs. I lay there in a heap, sobs wracking my body as I curled into a ball in my anguish.

I heard Tyger run over, looking confused about whether or not to go get someone or to stay. Finally, she made up her mind and came closer to me, crawling into the space between my arms and chest and purring comfortingly. It only made me cry more at her kindness as I shook uncontrollably and wailed. I don't know when it happened, but I passed out with tears dripping down my face.


	8. Lost Magic

**Hello all! This chapter was exciting to write, although it took a while to word things perfectly. I think you'll enjoy this one. Now, I can't say too much right now for fear of spoilers, so I will just leave it at that. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Lost Magic**

When I opened my eyes again, I was once more alone in the dreamscape, stuck in the column of darkness that seemed to just shiver with every laugh. Maybe it was the bombshell I had dropped on me by my actual brother or maybe I was just exhausted, either way I was beyond enraged at being back in the nightmare again. I rushed the wall again, punching it as hard as I could again as my knuckles split open. I barely even felt it as I screamed, punching the wall even harder when I felt a bone crunch. I was extremely surprised when my fist broke through the wall and stayed there, making it ripple like water and I heard a deep growl close by, almost as if it was right there in front of me.

_This isn't supposed to make you stronger. This is supposed to make you weaker so that I can crush you. So it looks like I'm going to have to increase the torture._

I stood there, my fist stuck in the wall, when I heard it. It was a bout of familiar laughter and shouts that had me shivering, making me crouch down and look up. I saw dark figures with red eyes, but I recognized them as the men that attacked me that day, back when I had lost my memory to them. I covered my head with my one free arm as the beating began, whimpering like the child I was in the past. I felt the leader's spear stab down into my back and puncture a lung, blood flowing in and inhibiting my breathing. I gagged and coughed heavily, the blood spattering onto the wall and being absorbed by it as fists and sharp objects pierced my skin. I couldn't hold it back anymore, it was getting to be too much for me to handle. I let out an ear piercing scream that made the walls shudder and the men only snickered evilly.

"It's good to know that we get to finish the job we started all those years ago," the leader hissed next to my ear when he crouched down beside me. "We finally get to kill the demon girl."

I hated how weak I felt and wailed again as the tears fell heavily. I even heard one of their number protest just like before and the leader killed him. It felt like it was taking forever until I realized that it was on purpose. The one behind the wall was dragging it out on purpose.

_I've found your weakness, girl. It won't be long now before you bow before me. I have something in store for you for your waking hours as well._

"No…" I said before vomiting blood, shaking so badly it was becoming painful as I leaned my head against the wall. The beating carried on and I stopped feeling altogether, the laughing of the men mixing with the one behind the wall. I passed out from the nightmare world and I slipped into a peaceful coma like state.

* * *

I woke with a start, panting heavily and then whimpering as I remembered the dream. I opened my eyes to see Tyger standing in front of me with a look of concern. I must have startled her by crying out in my sleep and I felt awful for worrying her so. She gave me a tired smile and I couldn't see the cave mouth anymore so it must have been nighttime.

"Can we leave the cave now, Mara?" she asked me.

"You didn't have to stay with me, Ty," I told her, refusing to move. "You could still go back to the building at Sabertooth."

"I don't want to leave you. I love you and you're sad. I want to stay with you until you feel better."

We could hear faint noises on the horizon and I listened in with my enhanced hearing. It seemed to just echo off the cave walls. I could hear people calling both of our names in an attempt to find us. I saw as Tyger's ears pricked up at some sound she recognized and then a glimmer of hope shone in her eyes as she ran off towards the exit. I figured she must have wanted to leave badly after all and I closed my eyes from fatigue.

I heard running and opened my eyes to see two figures with two flying cats approaching, one of the cats carrying a kitten sized object so there was only one explanation. Tyger went and got help for me even though I felt as if I didn't need it. I looked up as one of them picked me up in their arms, turning my head to see that it was Natsu. I lay my head on his shoulder and then looked over to see that the other figure was Rogue, who had a lovely set of bruises along his jaw.

"You punched my brother," I whispered, closing my eyes again as they both started walking back to the cave entrance.

"I told him not to hurt you," he growled.

"He didn't hurt me. He just told me about my past that I had forgotten."

"I know, he told me," Natsu said, shooting a glare at the other Shadow Dragon Slayer. "But he hurt you with his knowledge and sent you running to hide for 12 hours. He deserved what he got."

"It's been 12 hours?" I asked, too tired to move anymore.

"Ty said that you passed out soon after making it to the cave. Were you having a nightmare that entire time?"

"It knows my weakness now," I hissed as I slumped in his arms. Not being able to sleep peacefully was beginning to get to me and it was irritating. "It said it was going to start tormenting me during the day next."

He carried me out of the cave as Rogue walked ahead of us, leading the way out into the night. Rogue yelled that they'd found me and there were answering calls back. I watched as a certain blonde haired Dragon Slayer ran in our direction with Lector flying behind him. I felt Natsu tense up as Sting came over, talking with Rogue for a few seconds before coming closer to us.

"Are you alright, Timara?" Sting asked me with a smile, reaching over and stroking my hair.

Before I could say a word, Natsu growled at him and took a step to the side to keep me out of his reach. "Don't touch her. She's mine. If you do it again, I'll punch you harder than I did with her brother."

"I'd like to see you try," Sting said, dropping his cheerful façade and glaring fiercely at Natsu. He took a few steps towards us when Rogue grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He turned his head back to Rogue and snarled, "If he keeps this up, he's gone from here. He can't keep threatening or hitting the people of my guild."

"Don't do that," Rogue told him. "If he has to leave, so will Timara and I can't let that happen just yet. I still have things to talk to her about."

"You're not telling her anything else right now," Natsu said as he walked away with me in his arms. "It can wait until she's not as traumatized."

We were out of earshot when I finally said, "Natsu, I can handle it. You don't need to protect me."

"If you could handle it, you wouldn't have run off like that," he said, a little calmer now. "Once you get a few nights rest without the nightmares, you can talk to him again. It can wait for a while."

Happy flew in front of us to set Tyger down on my stomach and then landed beside Natsu to walk with him. She looked just as tired as I felt and sat down to watch as we slowly approached the building we were staying in. Not once did Tyger curl up to fall asleep and I knew she was going to wait until I slept as well. I reached over to pet her, scratching behind her ears and making her close her eyes happily. I saw the rest of our group from Fairy Tail waiting outside the building and Natsu carried me inside. After forcing me to eat some food, he picked me up again and carried both Ty and me down a hallway and into a room. He set me down on the bed and then lay down next to me. He wrapped an arm around my waist, careful not to make me feel claustrophobic. I heard Happy lay at our feet and both he and Ty fell asleep instantly.

I turned my head back to look at Natsu, who happened to be playing with my hair at that time, and said, "You have to be crazy if you think I'm going to fall asleep again. Not after what happened in the last nightmare."

"It had men attack you again, didn't it?" When the only response he got from me was a nod, he continued on. "Last time we did this, you didn't have a nightmare at all and if you do this time, I will protect you. I won't let it happen to you again."

I nodded again and closed my eyes, feeling myself drift to sleep when I heard a strange noise. I opened my eyes again and listened, finally noticing that it was him humming something. "What are you doing?" I whispered.

"Back when I was a child, someone would always sing me this lullaby whenever I had a nightmare to help me go back to sleep," Natsu whispered back.

"Who…?" I asked, but I didn't hear a word he said next because I fell asleep too fast.

When I woke back up, it was midday and my limbs felt extremely heavy, so I just laid there with Ty curled up against my neck and purring in her sleep. I heard a grumbling noise from Natsu and he pulled me closer, mumbling something sleepily. He pressed his lips to the nape of my neck and I jumped in surprise, making him wake up instantly in a daze.

"Wha…?" he mumbled, looking around blearily.

"Sorry, I was a bit startled because of something," I laughed.

I turned over to look at him and smiled. He lightly brushed the backs of his fingers against my cheek before bringing his lips to meet mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he tangled his fingers in my hair. He pulled away a bit to rest his forehead against mine and I sighed, smiling again as I closed my eyes. He still had his hand in my hair as he ran his fingers through the strands.

"I always wanted to do this," he said and I could hear the grin in his voice.

"And you couldn't do it while it was braided, right?" I asked, chuckling a little.

"More importantly, I'm the only person who gets to."

We got out of bed and I went to change into a white tank top that was low in the back to show off the mark of Fairy Tail and had black straps and then black shorts. I tied up the top half of my hair and let the rest hang down from my shoulders, leaving some of my hair to frame my face. Still keeping the boots, I walked back out as Tyger and Happy woke up, Ty walking over to the foot of the bed with a smile.

"Mara, check my wing! It feels better!" she told me happily.

She turned around and I gently felt the bones of her wing, noticing with surprise that she was right. Her wing had finally healed completely, none of the bones healing in places they shouldn't. "It's surprising that it healed so fast," I said to myself as I snapped my fingers, making the splint disappear. With a yowl of joy, she took off like a shot, flying around the room as fast as a bullet.

"She's an Exceed," Happy explained to me. "We have wings of magic. The only reason it took so long to heal in the first place is because she's just a kitten who doesn't have a lot of magic yet."

Ty flew back to me and hovered in front of me for a few seconds before making her wings disappear, forcing me to catch her before she fell to the ground. I hugged her tightly and then placed her on my shoulder before walking out of the room with Natsu and Happy. We didn't make it far down the hall when my brother stepped out from the shadows that he was camouflaged in.

"Look, I know it's probably too soon," he said mostly to Natsu, "but this is really important."

"What is it, Rogue?" I asked as Ty hissed when she saw Frosch appear next to him.

"There's something I think you need to see, something I need to see as well," he told me. "But we need to leave right now to get there."

"She's not going anywhere with you," Natsu told him with a glare. "Last time she went with you, she ended up going into hiding for 12 hours!"

"Natsu, it's fine," I said calmly before looking at Rogue sternly. "What is it that you want me to see?"

He paused, seeming uncertain about if he should say it before making up his mind. "I wanted to show you our old home."

I tensed up in shock, my eyes widening as I gaped at him. Our old home? I may not have any memories of that place, but there was a sense of security tied to it and I all of a sudden wanted more than anything to go back. I dearly hoped that maybe I could somehow recover the memories of them that I had lost. I wanted to remember my parents, even though it would also mean remembering their deaths.

"Take me there," was all I said, determination coursing through me as I walked towards him.

"Wait a minute!" I heard Natsu say just before he grabbed my wrist to stop me. "I'm going to come with you, you know, whether you like it or not."

I turned my head a bit in his direction and gave him a small smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Before we left, I pulled Zeref away from the others to ask him if he'd be ok while I was gone. "I know what to do in case my Death Magic gets out of control again. I will head for the cave you were hiding in when I feel it getting to be too much. Oh, and will you please get Natsu to stop glaring at me?"

I whipped around to see him immediately turn away, acting innocent as he started talking with Happy. I hugged Zeref quickly before heading back to my brother and Natsu. We walked outside and I grew my wings from the shadows as their cats grabbed hold of the backs of their shirts, all of us taking off in a flash as we headed north. Over the rushing wind, Rogue said that it would only take about an hour's flight to get to the house at our current pace. I let Tyger fly for as long as she wanted until she got tired, not letting her push herself too far when she had just had her splint taken off not that long ago. I guess I hadn't noticed much but she had grown again, now about half of Happy's height and that was bigger than where she was before. She was still the happy-go-lucky cat that I had grown to love since I found her.

Because of her silly antics, the flight to the house felt as if it were over in minutes. I saw a lake about three miles away from a village and a large house just outside the village itself to the south. Rogue motioned for us that it was time to land, heading down to that house and I suddenly felt nervous. I couldn't explain why I felt this way, but I kept my pace with Rogue and Natsu before we finally landed a few feet away from the porch.

"Are you ready?" Rogue asked me.

I nodded before turning to Natsu and Happy. "You guys don't need to go inside. You can wait out here if you want."

"No, we'll go," Natsu said to me.

We walked up to the porch and Rogue opened the door, which creaked from never being used in years. I heard the floorboards creak and a light glowed in the hallway next to the stairs. I saw a Lacrima crystal in the ceiling as a hologram filtered down from it, forming two people in its light. I saw the golden eyes of the woman with blue black hair and the familiar red eyes of the snowy haired man, all of a sudden a spike of what felt like lightning tore through my mind. I hunched over with my head in my hands, hissing in pain as my brain burned with the sight of them. I could feel that a part of me wanted to remember but the other part just wanted to protect me from the pain. Blinking through the tears that were caused by another spike of pain, I forced myself to straighten up as Natsu walked over to place a hand on my shoulder. I saw the woman smile before she began to speak.

"If you're both watching this now, then that means your father and I are both dead," she said with a sad smile. "If I'm right, then you are both old enough to hear the truth, even though neither of you will like it."

She sighed before turning to our father, who kissed her forehead and started to speak. "The truth is that your mother and I used to be in a Dark Guild when we were younger." Rogue and I gasped in shock as he continued on. "We were the research crew that helped them on their search for a wizard named Zeref. Not only that, but we were also on the hunt for a dragon."

"We thought that maybe the dragon would know about Zeref and where he could be," our mother said. "This dragon that we looked for was named Acnologia and he is known as the Dragon King. We didn't know, however, that our search for him should have been turned inward rather than around the world. We discovered soon that the dragon was giving orders to our leader to search for Zeref to create a world where he ruled over everyone. We decided then and there to leave and take up lives in the light. Years after leaving, we had both of you and we could never be happier. It wasn't until we got word from a friend that our old Dark Guild was coming after us that we knew it was the end of us. So we took you to the lake where the village couldn't be destroyed and took a stand. I'm sorry that we didn't live long enough to see you all grow up."

I watched as our father threw something red at me and I caught it in surprise. "That is a necklace with a ruby pendant. It's also known as the Blood Diamond. I have a feeling that it will help one day."

If the hologram said anything else, I didn't hear it. My heart thumped in my chest painfully as my mind was blasted with flames and my legs gave out. Natsu made a noise of shock and caught me, but my vision darkened for a few seconds before it came back, only this time I was remembering. I could see myself running around with Rogue as a child, not a care in the world as we played. At night, our mother would sing us a lullaby that would always help us sleep. I could remember a time when a storm scared me and our father said that it was just a dragon playing in the sky. I could even remember the loving looks our parents had for us.

But the memory that burned the most as they came back was the last moments I had with my family. I was about to go swimming with Rogue when our mother told him to take me and run. He didn't want to at first as the group of wizards approached with evil smiles. They dressed in gray and had a sinister looking sun insignia that was black and a lot of them carried weapons. Finally our mother urged Rogue to take me away before they started fighting and we ran. We made it to the hill, only to watch them be slaughtered gruesomely. I couldn't take it anymore and I ran, not once looking back until I found myself at another village.

I had been there for about six months, avoiding the glares of the people and stealing what food I needed. I played with the shadows when I felt lonely or bored and a group of men took notice. One day, they chased me after me, their leader carrying a crude spear while the others went without weapons. I made it as far as my little legs could carry me before I tripped and hit my head on a rock, passing out immediately as the blood trickled down onto the earth. That was when I lost my memory.

I blinked and saw that I was now lying on the ground, both Dragon Slayers sitting around me and giving me looks of concern. I grabbed Ty and got up before they could stop me, running out of the house entirely and ignoring their calls to get me to stop. I was only ten feet away from the porch when I saw it. There was a large group of people that gave off a bad vibe approaching the house and I froze.

"Tyger, I need you to get into my shadow right now and stay there for as long as you possibly can," I said quietly and as calmly as I could.

"But why?" she asked me, freezing up just like I was.

"Just do it. We don't have much time."

As I could hear Natsu and Rogue approach with their cats, Tyger did as I said and jumped down from my shoulder and into my shadow, making it shiver as she settled herself within it. I saw a strange green light come from one of them as they got closer and heard everyone one that came with me collapse. When I looked back at them, they were all asleep and I growled when I turned back to the group approaching. I saw that they had gray clothes and then a jolt passed through me when I saw the black sun insignia on the front. Their leader took a few steps forward while the rest stopped.

"Ah, Lady Akari's daughter," he said, his voice sounding sickly sweet and making me want to cringe. "You look just like her."

"So I've been told," I said as I glared at him. "What do you want and why did you knock out my friends?"

"We came here for you and we'd rather not have other interfering with our work," he said to me with a wild grin. "We are the Dark Guild known as Black Eclipse. We have orders to take you in."

"You're going to have to kill me first because I won't go with you willingly alive," I growled, the shadows behind me churning as a horde of demons was pulled through. They hissed and growled, running toward the Dark Guild when I signaled them.

The leader grinned. "I'm glad you're fighting. I wouldn't have it any other way."

With a strange wave of his hand, I saw a wizard step out from the group with a hand outstretched. Before I could stop it, there was a brilliant flash of light and I screamed as the light burned away at my magic, making it ineffective and burning me with every blast. Another flash had the demons disappearing and yet another flash forced me to my knees. I bared my fangs at them and heard Natsu groan as he came to for a few seconds. There was yet another flash and I shrieked, forced down onto my stomach and hurting like in my nightmares. I knew that shadows were weak to light but I never had it proved to me like this before. Natsu yelled my name as a few of Black Eclipse came over and threw my arms over their shoulders so they could carry me just as I saw a green flash of light that forced me unconscious.

When I woke up, I was dangling from a hook in the ceiling, kept there by my bound wrists. I thrashed wildly to no avail when I saw that there were circles of light magic all throughout the room, not burning me this time but keeping my Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic at bay and far from reach. I couldn't even see my own shadow, so I hoped dearly that Tyger was ok and hadn't been taken captive by these fools. I felt something hanging around my neck and looked down a little to see the necklace. I didn't know whether or not one of my friends had done it or these guys, but either way I was happy to have it.

"Ah, I see that you're awake," a voice said. I looked around the room for it, but couldn't find the source. After a while, I realized that the disembodied voice was coming from a small communications Lacrima.

"I suggest that you let me go right now," I said, sounding calmer than I actually felt. In reality, I wanted to tear the man's throat out with my fangs. "You don't completely comprehend the situation you are now in. My friends will come after me."

"I highly doubt that," the man said arrogantly. "Now, tell me where Zeref is."

"I don't think so," I said, lifting my chin a little in defiance.

The Light Magic flared up and blasted me, making me scream as I thrashed on the hook. I hated that magic so much right then that it wasn't even funny. When they finally made it stop, I hissed in rage as the man's laughter could be heard through the Lacrima. So glad I could be a form of entertainment for him.

"Let's try this again," the man said, "tell me where Zeref is."

This vicious circle went on for hours, neither one of us wanting to back down. He knew for a fact that I wasn't going to talk and found it funny when he had to blast me with magic. It wasn't until he laughed and the Light Magic never hurt me that he stopped laughing. I heard an alarm wail throughout the compound and there were screams out in the hallway beyond the door. The door flew off its hinges and I had to dodge it by swinging myself upwards on the hook. I gasped when I saw an adult sized tiger walk into the room and I hung onto the hook for a few seconds until I noticed something important. In between its shoulder blades was a royal blue mark of Fairy Tail. The tiger looked up at me with blood red eyes and bared its teeth in a smile.

"Ty, is that you?" I asked hesitantly. It nodded and I let myself hang down normally, Ty rubbing up against my legs and seeming happy to see me. "Alright, I need you to get me free from these binds. My magic is ineffective in this room."

She coughed for a few seconds and then looked up at me again. "I'm sorry, Mara, I didn't know I could talk in this form. I didn't even know I _had_ this form at all!" She stood up on her hind legs and placed her front paws on my shoulders. "The hallways outside are lined with Light Magic in case of a breakout."

She lifted one of her paws and extended lethal looking claws, hooking onto the binds and tearing through them easily. I fell to my feet and hugged Ty, who laughed happily and hugged me back the best she could. We walked out of the room and heard shouts, so we ran for it instead rather than take our chances while I couldn't use my magic. There was a loud explosion that shook the whole building we were in and everyone hit the ground hard. The alarm wailed frantically as Ty and I got to our feet as fast as we could and ran again. We rounded a corner only to find that our options were blocked by the members of Black Eclipse. I knew we were in for trouble because Ty couldn't take on everyone by herself. I was desperate and hissed in frustration, wishing I could just use my magic when the pendant around my neck lit up. In my mind, I heard a voice that was warm and kind, realizing that it was my father speaking and I closed my eyes.

_Timara, my dear, I believe it is time,_ he said and I could heard his smile in his voice. _When your mother and I had you and your brother, we knew that our abilities would be spread to our children. What we didn't know is if either of you would inherit my Lost Magic. It wasn't until one day when you were playing that you exhibited the telltale signs of being able to wield it one day. You managed to stop the bleeding on a bad cut instantly. Now, it is time for that ability to save you in your time of need. Go forth, my child, and use your Blood Magic now!_

I felt deep within me a burning in my blood, one that made me feel alive and strong. A place in my mind that was already cracked and broken tore open again and the memory of how to use it flooded back in scalding hot waves. I opened my eyes quickly and glared at the others from Black Eclipse, making them flinch and take a few steps back. I heard Tyger make a noise of surprise and I looked down at her.

"Mara, your eyes are red like mine," she told me, but she didn't seem afraid.

I knew what to do next. I brought my hand up to my mouth and sank my fangs deep into my hand. After a few seconds, I released my grip with my teeth and let my hand fall down by my sides, the blood dripping down my fingers and stopping as if time froze as my Blood Diamond pendant shone even brighter. Glaring again at them, I gave them a bloody smile as a few of their number ran in fear. This was going to be fun after the torture they put me through.


	9. Secrets

**Hiya, everybody! Thank you to all who have stuck around since the beginning, it is great! This chapter has some (possibly a lot) of action in it! There's a lot of excitement and I hope you love it as much as I do! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Secrets**

There was a pulling sensation as the blood poured from my hand and solidified into a sword. With the tiger beside me growling fiercely, I bared my bloody fangs and launched myself forward as Ty took the group behind us. A barrage of bullets were sent flying at me and I slashed them in half with the sword before I was right in front of them, striking them all and sending them into the wall hard. They groaned in pain and I turned around to see Ty taking down her group easily with her lethal claws. Once they were down, she bounded over to me and we ran off along the hallway.

"We need to find the wizard behind the Light Magic!" I told Ty, feeling a bit lightheaded from all the blood needed to keep the sword in its form.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep up this form without some shadows," Tyger said, panting as she loped beside me. There was another explosion that rocked the building and this time we managed to stay on our feet. We reached a window and saw smoke billowing up from what must be the first floor. I watched as flames leapt up high past the window and I knew Natsu had found us.

I skidded to a halt when I saw the Light Magic flicker before fading entirely. Natsu must have found him and defeated him, I thought happily as my Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic soared through my veins. Ty roared in joy and I saw her fur twitch. I sensed the leader hiding somewhere near the top floor when the whole building shuddered.

"Maybe we should leave, Mara," Tyger said worriedly. "I don't want the building to collapse on us."

"We need to interrogate the leader first," I told her. "He's on the top floor and there's some information we need to get."

"Climb on then! We'll get there faster!" she said as she bent down for me.

I got on her back and barely had time to hang on before she was off and running. She jumped onto the landing in the stairway and jumped to another, moving like a tiger-colored blur as we made it to the top floor. With a snarl when we stepped out of the stairs and saw others from Black Eclipse waiting for us, I hopped off her back and we walked side by side until we stopped ten feet away.

"So you've managed to escape!" the leader said with an evil grin. "Was it because of the intruders who forced their way into the building?"

"No, it was thanks to my partner that I got out," I said as I set my hand down on Ty's back. "I just want to know something. Acnologia is the one who gives your Dark Guild orders, isn't he?"

"I see that you've done your research," he said as two others stepped forward to stand beside him, setting their hands on his shoulders.

"Does he give you those orders through your dreams?" I asked with a growl.

"How else would he do that? He can't exactly appear before us since he's a huge dragon."

The building shook even more and I lost my concentration on the sword, the blood liquefying once more and splashing onto the floor. I hissed as I felt the lightheadedness wash over me, wobbling as the building shook so hard that it sent us all to the floor. Once the shuddering building stopped for a few seconds, we stood up and I used the shadows to create a bandage around my hand to stop the blood from flowing freely. I watched as the leader laughed hysterically as he was surrounded by a red glow before winking out of existence with the other two men.

"No!" I yelled with rage.

I felt a strange time stop moment where I could sense what was about to happen and I turned around to tackle Tyger to the ground, making us both slide back to the wall beside the stairs. She yowled in surprise, about to ask me what I thought I was doing when the building heaved and something solid shot through the floor where we had been standing. I looked back and saw that it was a huge clear crystal that seemed to glow with an otherworldly light. It kept moving up to the roof and then a voice could be heard in the stairway.

"Timara!" I heard them yell as the building was rocked with more crystals shooting out of the floor. The crystals formed a barrier around us both and blocked any form of exit. Tyger hissed and I hugged her, burying my face into her fur for a few seconds before looking back up. I looked up past the crystals and saw Happy hovering there near the ceiling before flying to the opening of the staircase.

"Natsu, they're on the top floor!" he yelled.

I tried to blast a hole in the crystals with my shadows, but it didn't even leave a scratch. I heard two sets of running feet coming up the stairs and could vaguely see two shapes through the crystals. I was surprised when the crystals blocking our way out seemed to just shift and form a hole big enough for us to get out. Ty leapt out of the hole and a surprised yell was heard so I jumped out behind her. I saw Natsu about to attack her when I hopped in front of her.

"Is that a tiger?" Rogue asked, looking pale as she growled at him.

"It's just Ty!" I said, throwing out my arms to block any attacks at her.

"Since when can Ty turn into an actual tiger?" Happy asked me.

"Since now," Tyger said.

Natsu looked at me seriously, assessing whatever damage I may have had. "Are you alright?"

"A bit bloody, but I can explain that."

He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me a bit closer to look at my hand. He tore off the black bandages and gasped in surprise when he saw the fang marks. Now that there was nothing covering it, it started to bleed heavily before I could make more bandages from the shadows. Before I could protest, he had me over his shoulder and was carrying me down the stairs. I called to Ty and she followed us down the stairs beside Rogue, who had Happy and Frosch flying above him. I felt the building shudder again and Natsu picked up the pace. He started to take the stairs two at a time and we reached the ground floor just in time for the building to heave again and start to collapse. I saw a huge crystal that shot up through the ceiling and it cracked with the weight of the building coming down on it as the ground floor was covered in flames. We rushed outside just in time as the whole building came down around us.

"What _was_ that?" I yelled, squirming in an attempt to get free from Natsu's grip.

"That's a good question since I didn't see where the crystals even came from," Rogue said.

Natsu set me down hurriedly and glared at me. "Why are there bite marks on your hand?"

"Listen, I couldn't use my Dragon Slayer Magic at all," I explained. "I didn't know what else to do and I remembered that my dad had the ability to use Blood Magic. I inherited that ability as well and I was desperate enough to use it."

"Father always said that Blood Magic was only to be used as a last resort!" Rogue said.

"It _was_ used as a last resort!" I yelled furiously. "Ty and I were going to be attacked and she wouldn't have been able to take them all on by herself!" I heard Ty groan from fatigue before shifting back to her normal form as a kitten. I picked her up and held her as she fell asleep in my arms. "Now, will someone explain where the crystals came from?"

They both shrugged their shoulders but I could see that Natsu was hiding something. I narrowed my eyes at him for a few seconds but let him keep his secret for now until we found time to be alone. Then I could demand he tell me what he's hiding. They told me instead what happened after I had been taken. Natsu had managed to wake up long enough to see them carrying away my limp body and then once he had his energy back, he woke Rogue and the two cats before they tracked my scent to a building not far from the mountain. They then lay siege to the building and tried to locate me.

"You didn't exactly make things easy," Rogue told me. "We found the floor you were being held on, only to find that you had broken out. My sister, always a fighter…"

"And I will continue to be until my last breath," I said with a grin. I happened to look down to see blood covering the tank top and sighed. I knew it was from after I had bitten myself and it still didn't make me very happy. I spit out the blood that still covered the inside of my mouth and wiped my lips and chin with the back of my hand. "Let's just head back to Sabertooth for now."

The flight back was uneventful, neither one of us speaking to each other since we were all tired from the day's events. Dawn had just broken over the sky by the time we reached the building outside of Rogue's guild. My breath whistled from between my teeth when Ty accidentally kicked my injured hand and I saw black spots in my vision for a few seconds before I blinked them away. Natsu led me inside, one arm around my shoulders in case I wobbled and fell as Happy flew over to Wendy to ask her to heal me. She ran over and took off my bandage, then used her healing magic to take care of the bites. If she suspected that it was my doing, she didn't show it as she gave me a smile and went back to talking with Lucy and Carla. I saw a man I hadn't seen in a long time standing behind Lucy and he gave me a friendly wave. With a smile, I shrugged off Natsu's arm and walked over to him.

"Hey there, Timara," he said with a grin, giving me a quick hug before releasing me. "You're still just as pretty as I remember you to be."

"Hi, Loke," I laughed, reaching up to muss his hair. Looking at the suit and much longer hair, I said, "You look a lot different from what I remember though."

"Well, this is my Celestial Spirit form," he told me. "I'm the one known as Leo, the leader of the 12 Golden Zodiac Keys."

"That's great!" I exclaimed, happy for him. He'd been a friend of mine ever since I had first shown up at Fairy Tail as a child. He never seemed vexed by my silence and isolation, forcing his sunny disposition on me at any chance he got just to keep me sociable. In fact, he was the only one to find out that I was a Dragon Slayer before I revealed my secret to the whole guild a couple weeks ago. I hugged him once more before saying, "But I didn't realize you could be out of the Spirit World for so long."

"I can if I use my own power. That's how I'm out here right now without Lucy needing to call me," he explained as I let go, leaning over to kiss my cheek like he always did. "I missed you when you turned into an S-Class Wizard and took all those jobs that kept you away for so long. You could have at least taken me along with you."

"But then you never would have met Lucy and become part of her team," I reminded him. "Things worked out in the end."

He nodded and then seemed to gaze at something behind me before saying, "Oh, great. Here comes trouble."

Without needing to know what he was referring to, a familiar figure with pink hair was in front of me and slammed his fist into Loke's face. He was sent flying and slammed into the opposite wall, making cracks like a spider web spread out around him before he hit the ground. He looked up, blood dripping from his nose before he stood and glared at the Fire Dragon Slayer. Natsu was about to go after him again when I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back, only to have my feet begin to slide with the force of Natsu's will to get to Loke.

"Stop it, Natsu!" I yelled as everyone turned back to look at us. "Loke is my friend and you're not going to hurt him again!"

Almost as if he didn't hear a word I said, Natsu growled, "Don't touch Timara like that again." Before either of us could say something to him, he turned around, grabbed me by the upper arm, and dragged me along with him as he walked off. Ty woke up and flew out of my arms to go play with Happy, which I was thankful for because I didn't want her caught in the middle of what might go down.

I was led down a bunch of hallways, immediately getting lost until we finally stopped in the darkest hallway. I was about to ask him why we were here when he pushed me against a wall and kissed me, pushing his tongue into my mouth and sliding it along mine. I shivered, the sensations driving me crazy as he kissed me deeply. I heard a satisfied growl rumble in his throat and he picked me up to keep me pinned there as I wrapped my legs around his waist. He pulled away to trail kisses along my jaw, nipping the skin occasionally just to get another shiver from me. Another tremor went through my body as he reached my neck, sucking lightly there and making me clutch his shoulders tightly. I felt his fangs brush the skin at the juncture of my neck and right shoulder and soft moan escaped my lips, my eyes closing halfway in bliss. I didn't really know what he was planning until he sank his fangs there between my neck and shoulder and I trembled in his hold as it felt like liquid fire was pouring into my veins. I gasped in shock as he kept hold with his teeth, growling lightly at me whenever I tried to pull away. As soon as I felt a warm tingle from my head down to my toes that slowly dissipated, he pulled his fangs free and swallowed my blood, giving me a contented grin before walking off and leaving me there to lean heavily against the wall as I wondered what that was all about.

It took me a long time before I could convince myself that it was time to move, so I walked along the hallways completely lost. Thankfully, I heard voices approaching and I tracked them until I found Gajeel and Pantherlily talking to each other. They both looked up at me, the cat looking at me curiously as the Iron Dragon Slayer began to laugh, hunching over with his mirth.

"I fail to see what's so funny," I said, looking over at his cat for help and he only shrugged.

"I was wondering when Natsu would do that," Gajeel said in between laughs, finally stopping long enough to catch his breath.

"Do what?" I asked him.

"You mean to tell me that you just let him do that without him explaining or asking you if he could?" he said, starting to laugh again.

"Tell me right now or I swear I'll—"

He cut me off with a slight glare, his laughter now gone. "No need for threats. It's not very polite."

"And neither are you, now spill."

He gave me a grin before saying, "I like you. I can see why Natsu likes you so much as well. You're feisty." When I gave him a look that suggested I would start throwing punches soon, he told me what I wanted to know. "Natsu bit you. Dragons will bite their mates to ward off unwanted attention and to show that they are together. The marks stay there until the day that one of them dies. In other words, that mark on your neck is going to prove that you belong to Natsu and it won't come off for a long time."

"Not if I go ahead and kill him for this," I growled. I was about to walk away to hunt down a certain pink haired individual when Gajeel stopped me.

"I hope you bit him back," he said to my back since I had already turned away from him. "If not, you're going to be wildly jealous about every little thing that pops up."

Cursing under my breath, I walked off in the opposite direction, not even caring now about being lost. As I uttered just about every profanity under the sun, I wished that Skiadrum had said something about this sort of thing. I would have been nice to know not to let another Dragon Slayer bite you lest you're tied to him for as long as either of you live. It was unbelievable how rotten a mood I was in and finally I decided to track down the person who put me in this predicament. I sniffed the air and smirked when I found his scent, following it all the way to the main room where almost everyone was gathered. I paused long enough to check and see if he was here, but didn't spot him. I was about to move to the door that led outside when Rogue and Sting walked over to me. When they stopped a couple feet away and sniffed the air before narrowing their eyes, I inwardly groaned because I knew they could smell my blood that still dripped from the bite. Rogue grabbed me by the arm and forcefully turned me, both Dragon Slayers growling angrily as they caught sight of the bite mark.

"I'm going to kill him," Rogue snarled and I had never seen him look so mad before, not even when we were kids.

"I'll help," Sting said and they both ran out of the building itself.

"Yeah, that's great," I mumbled under my breath. "Way to not ask me what happened and just assume the worst."

"But isn't that what really happened?" I heard my Tyger ask me sarcastically as she flew around my head.

"That's not the point here," I said with a sigh, walking out of the building with Ty in tow.

I could already hear the fighting taking place the moment I stepped foot outside and I followed it to the top of the hill, looking down at to see Rogue and Sting attack Natsu, who almost looked bored as he fended them off easily. He had a grin on his face as he fought back, only making the other two Dragon Slayers mad and they fought harder. I looked over to the side to see Lector and Frosch cheering on their partners as Happy flew above them to cheer on Natsu.

"Boys…" I heard Ty mutter to herself and I laughed. I couldn't agree with her more.

I heard a yell as the two fighting Natsu were sent flying, sliding into the dirt and looking beyond angry. "How _dare_ you bite my sister and claim her as yours!" Rogue snarled, glaring furiously at him. "You had no right to do that!"

"You didn't even ask her!" Sting yelled. "You just bit her so that you wouldn't have to deal with anyone else hitting on her! That's just low!" Turning to Rogue, he said, "When we get back, I'll bite over his mark. It's soon enough that it will nullify it."

"If you do that, I will rip you limb from limb," Natsu growled, glaring fiercely.

At this point, I was trembling in fury as I watched, so unbelievably outraged that these men thought that they could control the outcome of my life. The shadows began to congeal around me, Ty having to hop down before she was covered with them as well. Bones snapped and popped as my form shifted with the pull of the darkness, yet another place within my mind snapping open in the process. It was as if I kept learning more and more from them when in times of need. I happened to see Ty turning back into a tiger again and I let out a roar, startling them all as Ty leapt down to tackle Rogue and Sting to the ground. I felt wings snap open from my back, towering over all of them easily as I bared my fangs. I lowered my head down to them, stretching my now long neck to be eye level with the tiny creatures below me.

"How dare you all think that it is ok to fight on my behalf," I growled, the shadows all around shuddering with every word. "I ought to destroy you all."

"Timara, don't you think this is a little out of hand?" Rogue asked me as Ty let them up, walking over to me proudly with her tail whipping back and forth behind her.

"Shut up!" I snarled, conjuring shadowy tape to stick to his mouth. I glared down at Natsu, who looked a bit nervous now, and said, "You are a jealous idiot. I can't believe you bit me for such a stupid reason."

"But look at your shoulder now," he said sheepishly, looking everywhere but at me. "It looks pretty cool."

I craned my neck to see, just between my neck and shoulder, was a crimson tattoo of sorts that seemed to flicker like a fire, bright red against my black scales. I looked back at him with a low growl rumbling from my throat and said, "That doesn't change the fact that you did it without my permission."

"You can bite me back if you want," he mumbled, still refusing to look me in the eyes.

"That's not the point, Natsu. And as for you," I said, turning my head back to the other Dragon Slayers, more specifically Sting, "no one else will be biting me ever again. If you try, I will tear out your throat out with my teeth and watch you bleed out."

I stood up to my full height as Ty jumped up onto my back, a strong downbeat of my wings sending us airborne and I flew in the direction of the nearest lake. With my vast wings, it only took about ten minutes to get there, the land flying by fast below us. Landing heavily since I wasn't used to my new form yet, I walked over to the lake to look at myself. A multitude of onyx scales covered me from head to tail, sharp and lethal talons tipping my feet so I could rend anything in half. I looked at my head and saw crimson eyes that glowed, no visible irises or pupils to be seen. I had two black horns extending back that curved slightly away from my skull and I was surprised how similar I looked to Skiadrum, as if I had really been his daughter. My body was leaner than his stocky, muscled body and my wings had scales along the front part where wing attached to spine. The spikes along my back were smaller than Skiadrum's as well. With a huff, I laid down beside the lake, dipping my toes into the water and settling my wings flat against my spine.

"You look cool, Mara!" Ty said as she lay beside me, staying in her tiger form so I could see her.

"Thanks, Ty," I told her, nudging her with my nose. "You look pretty cool as well."

A deep purr could be heard coming from her and I chuckled, looking out across the water in contentment. I watched until the sun began to set and I could see a dark spot in the sky that was coming closer, sighing when I just knew that it was Natsu and Happy. When they landed nearby, Ty got up and growled at them until I told her to go play with Happy. She shifted back into her normal form and then played air tag with Happy, flying around the lake and chasing each other. I turned my head in the direction that Natsu was standing, refusing to lay my head down at eye level with him.

"Can we talk?" he asked me, not moving from his spot until he knew it was ok. When the only response he got from me was a brief nod, he sighed and continued on. "Look, I'm sorry I marked you. It was wrong of me to do so without asking you first. Now will you please turn back into a human so we can actually talk? It's strange speaking to a dragon again when they're all gone."

With another sigh, I did as he asked, letting the shadows blow away with the breeze and bones snapping back into place to allow me my human form. I sat down in the grass and stuck my legs into the water as Natsu walked over to sit beside me. I gazed down at my reflection, seeing the bite had healed thanks to being a dragon and now was flickering fire tattoo.

"Gajeel told me that if I don't bite you, I'll end up going on a jealous rampage," I said quietly, watching as Natsu's reflection smirked.

"You, go on a rampage? I can't see that happening." When I smacked his shoulder, he just laughed. "Like I told you before, you can bite me, too, if you want."

"But how do I know if that's what I really want?" I asked him, finally looking away from the water and staring at him instead. "You know you're tied to me for as long as we both live, right?"

"I know that and that's partially why I did it," he told me, reaching over to grab my hand and slipping his fingers between mine. "I like the thought of being mated with you."

Half of me agreed with his words, liking the thought of us being mates as well, while the other half was still outraged by his actions. I knew what I was going to do and I was definitely not going to turn into a jealous monster over the littlest things if I could help it. I pulled my feet out of the water and moved closer to him, making him blush a bit when I straddled his hips. When he tried to ask me what I was doing, I silenced him with a kiss. We stayed like that for a while before I pulled away, making him growl since he didn't approve of how short it was. He wrapped his arms around my waist to keep me in place as I leaned in towards his neck, moving aside his scarf and licking at the same spot that he bit me. He quivered slightly in anticipation just before I sank my fangs into his skin, the coppery taste of his blood slowly filling my mouth. Since I was already so close to him, he took it as the perfect opportunity to lick at the tattoo on my neck, sending chills down my spine as I fought to stay still. After a bit, I pulled my fangs free and swallowed the blood in my mouth, licking away the few drops on his neck so that they didn't get on his scarf and then placing a bandage made from shadows over my mark for now.

He lay back on the grass, pulling me with him, and then traced his fingers up and down my spine lazily. He kissed me leisurely before lying back and closed his eyes, enjoying the dying sunlight like a housecat would. I lay my head on his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeats. I could see just a tiny piece of the tattoo and laughed a little when I noticed that the flickers of light from it corresponded with every beat of his heart. I then closed my eyes as well and debated on a nap when I finally remembered something that bothered me.

"Natsu," I said hesitantly, feeling him stir slightly beneath me, "do you know how the crystals appeared back in the building that belonged to Black Eclipse?" I felt him tense up and I was now sure that he was hiding something. "I swear to you that I won't tell anyone, just like you kept my secrets for me. Just trust me."

"I do trust you," he said quietly, sounding torn. "But I made a promise to someone that I wouldn't tell anyone about it."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"It was a dying wish," he said simply.

"Natsu, please," I begged, looking up at him and pouting a little. The torn expression was now prominent as he debated on what he should do, finally sighing and giving in.

"Alright, but you have to swear not to tell a soul about this, not even Ty or Happy."

"I swear I won't tell," I said, both confused and surprised about the fact that he hadn't even told his own partner about this.

"Her name was Diamantina," he said, looking up at the sky, "and she was Igneel's mate when I was a child. She was the one to teach me Crystal Dragon Slayer Magic." A stunned silence seemed to fall over us both as I just openly gaped at him in shock. It's one thing to be taught Dragon Slayer Magic from one dragon, but from two? That was unheard of. I was mulling this over in my head when he started speaking again. "She didn't want to teach me this at first, saying that it was hard enough learning Dragon Slayer Magic in the first place. But I showed a lot of progress and determination and finally wore her down. She said that she'd teach me it if I learned how to create with her magic first before learning attacks."

"Kind of like how I was trying to teach you all in the beginning," I said with a smile, watching as his face lit up from my comment.

"Yeah, just like that actually. I had the hardest time learning it because it wasn't as easy as it looked. Finally, I managed to get the hang of the concept and that's how I'm not too bad at it nowadays."

"What happened to Diamantina?" I asked him.

I saw sorrow flash through his eyes before he suppressed it. "I guess she was already very sick before Igneel found me as a baby. As soon as she taught me everything she could, she decided that it was the perfect time to die. When Igneel and I came back from a joyride that he took me on through the sky, we found her just about to pass on. I ran to her and she made me promise to keep it a secret from everyone before she died."

"At least she got to see you both before she passed," I whispered, laying my head on his chest once more in an attempt to comfort him.

"I know, but it just… hurts," he whispered back, rubbing my back absentmindedly. "She was like a mother to me. A very strict one, but still like a mother. I think she would have been somewhat ok with me telling my mate about this."

We both then decided that it was as good a time as any to leave and head back to the building we were all staying at. We called to Ty and Happy, growing my wings as they approached and then we took off. It was night when we arrived back at Sabertooth and Natsu was back to his carefree self, none of the sadness from earlier showing as we headed back inside. To avoid nightmares again, he slept next to me in my room and we all fell asleep quickly after sprawling out under the covers.

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**I must give credit where it's due in this chapter! Special thanks to _sapphire dragon slayer alex_ for the crystal dragon ideas and the magic to go with it, also the idea for the bitey scenes for them to become a mated pair. Good job, my friend, and thank you! :)**


	10. Total Destruction

**Hello again to everyone! Thank you to the people who have stuck with me and our beloved characters so far! I am happy to announce that this chapter is quite exciting! It's action packed and I was so thrilled to write it that it bothered me all day when I couldn't be around my laptop to finish it! This is where the storm finally breaks and the fallout begins! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 10: Total Destruction**

It had been decided earlier that we would be leaving in the morning to return to Magnolia. When I woke up, I noticed that Natsu and Happy had already left the room, allowing me to sleep in. I wasn't very happy about having to leave, especially since I wanted to track down the surviving members of Black Eclipse, but Erza told me that I was leaving with them, whether it was the easy way or the hard way. I knew that the hard way consisted of her hogtying me and throwing me in the back of the vehicle with the rest of them and I shuddered at the thought. Erza could be so mean sometimes. I grabbed Ty, picking up the sleepy kitten and holding her as I left the room wearing a black sundress that dipped in the back enough to show off the blue Fairy Tail marking, even the tattoo that had somehow lengthened and curled down the front of my shoulder.

I walked out into the main room, Ty finally waking enough to jump out of my arms and fly over to Happy when I saw Lucy and Natsu talking quietly. Normally, I wouldn't mind such a thing. I know that they are friends and that she is a part of Team Natsu since she first joined the guild. I'd heard a lot about the newcomers while I was out doing jobs away from the guild. But this was stepping a bit out of line in my mind. She had this flirty smile on her face and kept touching him lightly on the arm whenever she laughed. Even though it shouldn't have bothered me, I was instantly seeing red and storming off in their direction.

"Oh, no, here we go," I heard Gajeel say under his breath to Pantherlily, seeing out of the corner of my eye that they had both stood up, his cat shifting into his humanoid form. I even heard Rogue shout something to me, but his words were lost in the sea of rage washing over me.

With a step, I used my magic to instantly move in between the two faster than they could blink, sending my fist into her jaw and making her fly backwards. I think she was unconscious at that point, not used to taking such a direct hit from someone as strong as I am. I was about to launch myself at her again when Natsu grabbed me and tried to hold me back. I broke from his hold and ran a couple steps away, about to use my magic a second time to run at her when Natsu grabbed me again, only this time Gajeel and Pantherlily were there to help. Loke seemed to just appear out of nowhere with a flash of light, helping those three to drag me outside. In the end, they had to pick me up off my feet and carry me out because I fought them fang and claw to go after Lucy.

When I managed to scratch Loke and knock his sunglasses off of his face, he yelled, "Will you think rationally for just two seconds?! You just attacked my owner _and_ one of your friends!"

I just growled and fought even harder, managing at one point to leap out of their hold and take off running only to have Natsu tackle me to the ground before I reached the doorway. "Stop it right now!" he hissed, his lips only an inch away from my ear. "I'm not letting you up until you calm down."

I snarled and tried to squirm out from under him, but movement was impossible for he had me pinned. It took a while for the jealousy and rage to fade, only to be replaced by irrational fear when I began to feel claustrophobic. I started to shake and almost began crying when he finally let me up, pulling me closer and hugging me tightly.

"I'm sorry about pinning you," he whispered in my ear. "And I'm sorry about making you jealous. I didn't even know I was doing it."

"It wasn't you," I finally said, my throat a bit scratchy from the growling. "You are quite oblivious to flirting apparently."

The door slammed open and startled us enough that we jumped apart, blushing profusely as Gray sauntered outside with a knowing smile. "Well, well, well. What do we have going on here? Natsu is with a _girl_?"

"Shut up, ice princess!" Natsu yelled at him.

"I just never pictured it before," Gray carried on, ignoring the insult thrown at him. "The pyro getting together with the shadow queen. This has to go beyond the highest levels of weird."

"Shut up, stripper!" both Natsu and I yelled at him this time. Then I pointed at him, which made him give me a confused look. "Is there a reason why you're already half naked?"

He looked down and gasped before running inside where we could hear Juvia excitedly exclaim that she had his shirt for him. Natsu gave me a brief kiss and grinned when he saw my glare at how short it was, keeping a slight distance between us as everyone filtered outside. Loke went over to a dazed Lucy, who seemed extra motivated to avoid me, and helped her down the path as we all headed in the direction of the town in the woods. Yukino waved goodbye to us energetically before heading back to the main building for the guild.

It didn't take long for us all to make it back to the town since we all knew where we were heading by this point. The town square was within sight and we all stepped up the pace again. Once there, we said our goodbyes to Rogue and Sting, their little cats waving goodbye to us. I couldn't leave my brother without a proper farewell and I ran to him, making him flinch in anticipation of a fist to his face and instead received a hug. I threw my arms around his shoulders and hugged him to me tightly, a slight hesitation before he hugged me back.

"I think I'm actually going to miss you this time, brother!" I laughed, letting him go and seeing one of his rare smiles. "Send a shadow dragon if anything pops up and you need my help."

"Don't worry, sister. I'll be sure to do that if need be, but Sting and I have it covered."

When I turned to Sting to say goodbye to him, he grabbed me and hugged me so fiercely that he had my feet off of the ground. I yelped a little in surprise and just patted his back awkwardly until he let me down. With an arrogant grin, he leaned forward quickly and kissed my cheek. Without missing a beat, I slapped him hard on the cheek and made him chuckle, rubbing at the red mark there.

"Yep, you're alright for a girl from Fairy Tail," he said, his grin still intact as he watched me warily. "You're welcome to come back any time."

"Maybe I'll take you up on that offer so I can visit my brother," I said with grin and watching as his fell at my words that excluded him from the mention visit.

I waved goodbye to them both and turned around to see an angry looking Natsu a few feet away. I figured he'd try to run at Sting for what he did, so that was my reason behind the slap. Might as well try for some damage control. I hopped up onto the bench behind the controls, seeing that Zeref was already waiting for me. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen him since I came back from being abducted, so he must have been lying low in the forest where he wouldn't hurt anyone with his Death Magic. I patted him on the arm and he smiled at me as Natsu climbed up to sit beside me. I slipped the magic band around my wrist and started the vehicle once everyone was inside, Ty sitting on my lap and bouncing excitedly. Natsu slumped over against me again with a groan, laying his head on my shoulder as I turned the vehicle and moved it along down the path away from town and towards the southeast.

"I heard about everything that happened while you were gone," Zeref said. "Erza kept coming around to keep me updated. I heard about the Lost Magic you're able to use."

"Have you seen anyone else use it?" I asked him curiously, concentrating on driving and talking at the same time to keep my motion sickness at bay.

"Sort of," he said. "I saw it from a distance. There was a wizard travelling with his wife in search of me and he could use it."

"That could have been my parents," I whispered.

"From the description I was given of them by Erza, I now believe it was," he told me as he watched the scenery go past. He gave me a small smile before saying, "Another thing I heard was that you are mated now to Natsu."

"Yes, she is so back off," Natsu said halfheartedly, sounding too sick to threaten him. Both Zeref and I laughed a little from it. I looked over at him and could see a part of a tattoo now forming from my bite.

It was agreed that we'd stop in the village we saved last time for the night and I was wrapped in my thoughts the whole way there. I really wished I could have found the remaining members of Black Eclipse. Some part of me felt as if it was imperative to catch them soon, but I couldn't explain why. I decided to take up a few jobs that would lead me all over Fiore when we got back to Fairy Tail. I was bound and determined to catch them after everything that they had done.

Close to sunset, the small village appeared on the horizon and I upped the pace of the vehicle to make sure we got there before the sun actually went down. Once I had made it through the shadow barrier, I saw banners and streamers strewn about the road and slowed down, looking around and wondering what sort of festivities was occurring. Natsu sat up and studied the whole area with a look of awe the further in we drove. Ty jumped around on my lap excitedly when we reached the village square, the manager walking up to us with a big grin on his face.

"Ah, you made it just in time!" he told us as we got out of the vehicle. "Our Spring Festival is tonight!"

We all decided to help make the festival even better with magic except for Lucy and Loke, who both avoided me in case I decided to start another fight. I created a bunch of animals from the shadows once night fell, making them roam about and the children followed them around with joy evident on their faces. Ty turned into a tiger and gave the children rides on her back, purring the whole time as she ran about. Gray created huge ice sculptures, most of which were by request. Erza showed off her different armors and demonstrated each one's power against Gajeel and Pantherlily. Wendy and Carla went around and helped different stalls with errands and Juvia made a bit of a show out of the water from the fountain. After giving my shadows life, I went over to where I thought Natsu and Happy were and watched what he was doing. Of course, Natsu was the fire breathing act. He made cool rings of fire that Happy flew through, the children watching this in amazement. With a smile, I sank into the shadows and wandered off along an alley.

I happened to hear strange noises down a particularly dark one and my curiosity got the better of me again. I rounded the corner and saw Loke and Lucy together, kissing passionately at the dead end. For a second, I figured it must have been the concussion I gave her to make her act that way. However, being the mean friend that I am, I moved along the shadows in the alley until I was above their heads, pulling myself halfway out of the darkness to look down at them.

"I should have known," I said loudly, making them jump apart fast and glare up at me.

"How are you that high up without falling out of the shadows entirely?" Loke asked incredulously.

"I'm just that awesome," I informed him with a grin. "Now, what do you two think you're up to?"

"Nothing!" they said, a faint blush could be seen regardless of how dark it was.

"Yeah, that's a lie," I chuckled, pulling myself free and landing lightly on the ground. I turned to Lucy and said, "I'm sorry about earlier. I don't know what came over me."

"It's alright," she said hesitantly. "Let's just not go through it again, ok?"

"Ok, we'll try," I said with a small smile. I walked past them and down the alley before turning my head slightly to say something else. "Stay safe, kids. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Loke."

I heard him grumble something under his breath as I walked away, grinning more than ever as I continued on down the alley. I saw it open up into the village square and decided to get to higher ground. I jumped from windowsill to windowsill until I reached the roofs. Sitting down beside a weathervane, I pulled my knees up to my chest as far as they could go and watched everyone enjoying the festival. I caught sight of Zeref, who was being led around by Wendy to see all of the stalls and decorations, even making him pet a few of the shadow animals.

"I thought I'd find you up here," I heard someone say, turning around to see that it was Natsu. "Of course, the shadow queen is hiding out in the dark."

"Don't go around calling me that, pyro," I said to him with a smile as he sat down beside me. "Being around so many people isn't exactly my thing."

"I can understand that," he said with a nod as he put his arm around my shoulders, scooting closer to me. "You picked the best spot for the fireworks though."

I was about to ask him whether or not he was lying to me when I saw a light rocket up into the sky before exploding into hundreds of smaller sparks. These fireworks weren't as great as the magic ones that Natsu bought that time before the trip, but any firework is still good. I laid my head on his shoulder and leaned against him, watching as yet another one was sent upwards, this one flashing bright red. A few more went up and they were multicolored as they exploded. I felt Natsu kiss the top of my head as a bunch of fireworks went off, this one in the shape of a smiley face and I laughed. They lasted for a long time, maybe that's why the village like the regular ones better. About half an hour later, the grand finale went off as a bunch of them were lit and exploded into the sky like a fiery storm. Natsu and I stood up, taking each other's hand and walking side by side on the roofs to the inn that we would all be staying at for the night. When I remembered what I had seen in the alley earlier, Natsu only smiled and shook his head.

"Better her than you," was all he said, finally pulling me over to the roof of the inn. We snuck down to my room from last time as Ty and Happy flew to us, calling the foot of the bed to be theirs as we crawled under the covers. It wasn't long before we both fell asleep, the explosions from the fireworks still ringing in our ears. I didn't dream once that night and slept peacefully.

I was content to wake up warm and refreshed, Natsu's arm around me to keep me close and I laughed inwardly as I tried to sneakily get free to go change. Into the bathroom I ran, changing into a long black tank top with a lacy trim that was low in the back and black shorts to go with it. Once I was walking back out, I saw that everyone was awake and ready to go. We left the room and had breakfast downstairs before gathering outside near the vehicle. We thanked the village manager for the festivities we were allowed to help with and then were on our way, Natsu once again slumped against me as he groaned sickly.

"Maybe one of these days, you'll stop being sick while on any forms of transportation," I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"I'd be ok if Wendy would use that Troia on me, but she said it becomes useless if used too often," Natsu said weakly. There was a bump in the road that caused him to fall forward a bit so he ended up with his head on my lap, nearly squishing Ty. The little kitten huffed before walking over to Zeref and curling up on his lap for a nap instead.

The sun came up as the village slipped out of sight, everyone in the back chattering amongst themselves as I watched the road. There were a lot of carriages being pulled along by large animals, all of them smiling pleasantly at us as we passed by. My thoughts swirled as I thought back to the memories I had gained back from my missing past. I missed my deceased parents just as badly as I missed Skiadrum. They were all very good to me and I never wanted to disgrace their names in the future.

It was around midday when I saw that Zeref looked a bit uncomfortable. "Are you alright?" I asked him, looking at him out of the corner of my eye.

"No, I think my magic is getting out of control," he said with a grimace, starting to shake as he tried his best to gain control of it. Without missing a beat, I took off the band around my wrist that controlled the speed and snapped it around his. As he started to become surrounded by a black haze, it seemed to just flow into the vehicle and make it speed along faster than I had made it go before.

He gasped in surprise as I said, "Keep it going at that pace. It should keep that magic of yours within manageable levels." He gave me such a grateful look, going so far as to even give me an ecstatic hug.

I heard Natsu growl feebly in protest before it turned back into a groan. "I'd punch you right now, Zeref, if I wasn't so sick."

With an amused grin, Zeref leaned over to quickly kiss me on the cheek. "Then I guess it's as good a time as any to get away with that."

With another growl, Natsu tried to sit up to attack The Black Wizard only to look nauseous again and slump back with his head on my lap again. "Make him stop, Timara…"

I looked over to Zeref with a mock stern look. "Behave, will you? Quit tormenting my mate."

Natsu grumbled something as Zeref laughed quietly but agreed. We kept going at the fast pace and I could have sworn that I could see Magnolia on the horizon. I gasped in surprise when we reached the top of a large hill and my guess was confirmed. Magnolia was shining brightly below us a few miles away, the lake behind it sparkling brilliantly. I heard a rumbling noise behind us and looked back quickly to see dark clouds rolling in far away in the distance. I thought nothing of it as we raced down the hill towards the city. Ty jumped up and down on Zeref's legs after she woke up, looking excited to be back home. Even I was infected with her joyous attitude, feeling happy to finally see Fairy Tail after being away for so long.

Zeref hesitantly slowed down the magic vehicle when we neared the main gate, stopping long enough for them to open the gates and allow us to pass. I heard the chattering stop from within and I looked back to see that they were all watching the familiar surroundings pass by as we headed further inside. Natsu sat up and, still slumping against me, watched the river beside us. I felt his fingers slide between mine and he shook with excitement. I steered the vehicle around to avoid running people over, the children swarming us as they finally saw who we all were. Natsu looked a bit better and waved cheerfully at them, giving them a warm smile as we drove past slowly. Finally, we reached an area where we could pick up the pace and we reached Fairy Tail without any more interruptions.

Pulling over to the side of the courtyard, we all filed out and practically hit the ground running. Zeref said something about waiting outside for me before we headed home and I knew that he was ready to get back to his isolation in the mansion. I told him that I would be willing to lead him back as soon as I talked with the guild master. He nodded and waited beside the big doors as we all rushed inside. There was a cacophonous roar as everyone cheered, welcoming us back with open arms. There were decorations and even a cake, which Erza seemed to eye greedily. I slowly made my way over to Makarov, having to talk to a few people on the way and thanking them for the surprise. Finally, I made it back to the counter where Mira and Makarov were talking. He looked up and gave me a warm smile as he dangled his feet off the counter.

"So, how was the trip?" he asked me.

"It was… eventful," I said with a grin. "I've learned a lot just from the week or so we've been away."

"There was a village that sends their regards about your deeds," he told me. "I guess you drove away a Dark Guild quite nicely."

"And I prevented it from ever happening again. They feared wizards when we arrived and almost turned us away instantly."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that they're ok now," Makarov told me. "Now, go enjoy the party!"

With a happy grin, I waved before wandering back into the party. I stole a piece of cake, which I found to be strawberry, and snuck off to a table near the outside to watch as everyone partied. I hadn't had sweet food in a long time so I savored every bite, letting Ty try strawberries for the first time. She squeaked happily and stole the rest of them, looking so happy I thought she might burst. I heard someone clear their throat behind me and I turned to see Natsu with Happy standing beside me. For some reason, I got the feeling that something was wrong by the tense expression he had on his face.

"Hey, do you have a second?" he asked me, not looking me in the eyes once. "There's something very important I need to discuss with you."

Feeling confused, I stood up, picking Tyger up and carrying her as Natsu led the way outside. I saw Zeref give us a strange look but stayed where he was as Natsu looked out towards Magnolia, avoiding looking at me while he stared at the clouds that were now rolling in from the west. Even I looked up at them, a strange sense of dread washing over me as I saw lightning crackle through the clouds.

"Timara," I heard Natsu call my name, looking from the oncoming storm and back to him. He looked even tenser now than he did back in the guild hall. "I need you to promise that you won't freak out on me."

I couldn't answer him because my eyes were drawn back to the clouds that now covered the entire city, stretching on for miles in either direction. I heard thunder rumble from within the storm, but it sounded… different. I couldn't quite put my finger on it as I saw the lightning crack the sky again. I noticed its color was an ocean blue and I knew it was familiar. My brain was dragged back to one of my nightmares, one I hadn't had in a long time and I remembered. It was him. I gasped when the strange thunder was heard again, only this time it almost sounded like a sinister laughter. Rain began to pour down instantly and I gasped at how cold it was, soaking everything instantly and I knew something awful was about to happen.

"Natsu, Happy, get inside right now," I said over the pounding rain. They gave me a confused look as I turned to Zeref, seeing him turn pale as he recognized it as well. "You get inside, too, Zeref."

Almost as if he was in a daze, he nodded slowly and made his way inside. When Natsu and Happy refused to move, I grabbed them both and dragged them inside as I heard a buzzing noise that kept increasing in volume. I don't have much time left, I thought to myself as the noise moved until it was directly over the guild. I didn't have enough time to be nice, practically throwing them both inside as I slammed the door shut with my magic, making silence fall inside as the buzzing got louder. They all turned to me as I began to charge up my Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic as fast as I possibly could. I gritted my teeth as it became painful, the shadows forming a huge barrier around every single person there and getting thicker by the second. The buzzing roared in my ears, sounding like a tornado bearing down on us as I forced everyone including myself down into the shadows, moving us to the outskirts of Magnolia to a large cliff that overlooked the city that was shrouded by the shadows of a forest. I collapsed onto my stomach, my vision trying to fade as I saw a large blast of sky blue light slam down from the clouds and hit Fairy Tail's guild hall. I saw a huge explosion of that same light and pieces of the building were sent flying everywhere.

Everyone gasped in shock, a few cries could be heard as the one place we knew and loved was completely destroyed, leaving nothing but a huge crater in its place. Natsu ran over to me as I felt blood drip down from my noise because of the overexertion. I had used up almost all of my magic power in such a short amount of time and I heard Ty scream my name as Natsu picked me up, throwing one of my arms around his shoulders and wrapping his around my waist to keep me steady. I heard a roar of outrage from the clouds as it must have realized that it missed its true target.

"Tell everyone to get back," I said weakly as I tried to rally up the rest of my strength.

Natsu yelled and everyone seemed to scatter, falling back to the trees as the roar came closer. Natsu dragged me along with Happy helping as much as he could and I looked up to see a large black dragon diving from the sky, sky blue colors streaking its hide and its featherlike wings fluttering as it spread them quickly. It hit the ground hard and shook it, sending us all to the ground. It roared again, arching its neck down to us to show how fearsome it was.

"It's him," I heard Zeref say quietly over the din. I looked over at him to see a strange mix of fear and denial on his face. "Acnologia…"

"Ah, so there you are," I heard a deep rumbling voice say, one that sent cold shudders down my spine. It was the same voice that had been in my nightmares and I knew now that it belonged to this dragon. "I have been looking everywhere for you, Zeref."

"What do you want with me?" Zeref asked.

"I want your power to create a world of my creation, one where every living being bows down to me!" Acnologia laughed, reaching its clawed hand to Zeref to pick him up.

"No!" I yelled, my second wind causing me to step between him and the dragon. "You stay away from him! I didn't put up with all of those nightmares just to have you win!"

"You barely have the energy to stand and yet you still defy me, girl?" the dragon growled. "I could squash you like a bug while you're in this state."

"You stay away from her!" Natsu yelled, running over to me and standing at my side.

"The Fire Dragon Slayer!" Acnologia exclaimed. "Tell me, how did Igneel take the death of his mate?"

"You leave her out of this!" Natsu growled. "Don't you dare tarnish her memory!"

"But I already have. I'm the one who killed her," Acnologia said as he gave us an evil grin. "She might not have died right away, but she still died by my claws. Blood poisoning is the only way to kill one of the last crystal dragons in existence." He stood up to his full height, easily towering over us all as he said, "I grow weary of this. It's not nearly as fun as it was in the beginning. I think I enjoy the hunt most of all, so I will come back later to do track down the one I seek. I dearly hope that you're able to put up a better fight than this, girl. It was a great disappointment after all of your trash talking."

With a menacing laugh, he spread his wings and leapt into the air, flying up into the clouds and heading somewhere else as the clouds following behind him. I wiped my nose as the blood refused to stop and growled as the dragon left. I watched everyone from Fairy Tail run off towards Magnolia to see if any other damage was caused and to see if it was at all possible to salvage anything from the now destroyed building. Zeref went along with them and I could tell that he felt awful about everything that had just transpired. I was also about to head back when I felt Natsu grab my arm, stopping me in my tracks. I saw Happy grab Ty and fly around with her, making me utterly confused until I realized that this must be about what he wanted to talk to me about earlier.

"Listen," he said as he turned me around to face him. I could see a fire burning in his eyes and saw how determined he looked. "I can't let this stand. I need to avenge Diamantina in any way I can and I think I know how to now that I've seen Acnologia in action."

"That's great, Natsu," I said, wondering all of a sudden why I was beginning to feel apprehensive.

"And this is the part you're not going to like," he said quietly. "I need to leave to train on my own. I have to hone my Crystal Dragon Slayer Magic and it's going to take a while."

"How long…?" I asked, anxiety only making this whole situation worse.

"About three years," he said at almost a whisper.

"I'm coming with you then," I growled now, gathering up my strength.

"No, you need to stay with Zeref for now," Natsu said. "I think it's probably best if you lead Acnologia on a wild goose chase so that this never happens again, just until I am strong enough to defeat him."

"I don't care about that!" I yelled. "What I do care about is you and you are not leaving here without me, so if I have to drag you down to Makarov and tell him what a crazy idea you've got, then so be it!"

With a scream, I aimed a punch at him, going to attempt knocking him out so I could literally drag him down to Magnolia when he easily dodged my attack. I knew that I was in a majorly weakened state or he wouldn't have been able to dodge me effortlessly, so I dredged up every ounce of magic energy left to make my moves faster, forcing him to have to block my attacks or take one. I was just about to hit him in the jaw as hard as I could when I left myself open, Natsu taking the chance to slam his fist into my stomach and the breath rushed out from my lungs. I felt tears stream down my cheeks as my vision started to fail me and I was so angry at myself for not being able to stop him. Just before I passed out, I thought I heard Natsu say he was sorry.

Feeling so sore and exhausted, I woke in a daze to be comforted by Natsu's scent all around me. I had the hardest time forcing my eyes to open as I rolled over onto my side. I stretched my arms out with a sigh as my muscles protested, only to feel something that I had been holding while I was unconscious. The fabric felt so familiar to me, making me gasp and scramble to sit up as my eyes snapped open. There in my hands was a white scale-patterned scarf, one that I had grown so used to seeing. Before I could stop it, an inhuman wail escaped my lips as I realized what this meant. Natsu had left on his journey and there was nothing I could do now to stop him.


	11. The Life of the Hunted

**At the request that I keep up with my good habits of posting a new chapter daily (or even every couple of days), I just now finished the chapter. I had writer's block like crazy for a while, but I somehow managed to work around it. This time, I think a day break is acceptable or I might burn out. Anyway, this chapter should interest you all because there are some new aspects to it. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Life of the Hunted**

Once I had screamed out all the negative emotions and my throat felt like it was on fire, I just whimpered a little and just allowed the tears to fall. I saw them drip down onto Natsu's scarf and that was when I decided I'd had enough. I wiped my cheeks and eyes so I could see and looked up to finally notice that I was back in my room in the mansion, Ty standing there on top of the comforter. She watched me warily, as if she was waiting for me to start yelling at her.

"I'm sorry, Timara," she said, the first time she'd ever spoken my name without shortening it.

"He left his scarf," I whispered, staring back down at it in shock.

"I know, I saw," Ty said, shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously. "I'm sorry that I didn't stop him. He'd already knocked you out by the time I saw what happened."

I let go of the scarf so that I could pick up Ty, moving her to eye level even though she looked away, tears in the corners of her eyes. "Tyger, I don't blame you if that's what you think. But I would like to know what exactly happened next after he knocked me out."

She sighed as the tears dropped down her cheeks, but she looked a little calmer now. "He picked you up and said something to you, but I was too far away to hear what it was. Happy and I followed him all the way back to this mansion and we got a good look at the crater. Everyone was gathered down there and weren't moving much. Natsu carried you up here and set you down, then whispered something in your ear before he straightened up to leave but you grabbed him by the scarf. You wouldn't let go of it, even going so far as to start crying while you were unconscious. He decided to let you have it until he got back. He told me to tell you that he promised that he'd be back in exactly three years from now. He also made me promise that…" she said, pausing for a few seconds before carrying on, "I'd keep you from trying to follow after him once you woke up."

I nodded absentmindedly, mulling over her words before hugging her. She squeaked in surprise before bawling heavily. I guess she wasn't expecting such kindness after what she was forced to promise Natsu, but I would never treat my partner in such a cruel way. I let her cry for a while until she was hiccupping lightly and I didn't feel any more tears wetting my skin. I set her down with a smile that I didn't feel and got out of bed with the scarf in my hand. From my shadow, I pulled out the long coat like the one I had worn before revealing my true identity to the rest of my guild, only this one was a bit different. The sleeves were long and cut with ridges that were similar to a dragon's wings. The hood had two large crimson eyes on the front and two black horns at the top of it five inches or so away from the eyes. I wrapped Natsu's scarf around my neck the way he used to have it and put my arms through the coat's sleeves, Ty followed me out of the room as the coat flapped open behind me. I saw Zeref waiting for me patiently, acting just like Ty had been before we had our talk.

"Follow me," was all I said to him, my sleeves too long for my hands to peek out so I waved the sleeve to beckon him along. I adjusted the hood against my back and pulled the scarf a little tighter, stopping in the kitchen to grab all the money I had. I dropped it in my shadow, making it ripple like water as it sank.

We made our way to the gate that led back into Magnolia, but I didn't see the man who let me have the mansion. I pulled about two more years' worth of rent and hid it with shadows so that only he could see it, leaving his house and heading in the direction of where Fairy Tail once stood. The wind slowly began to pick up, my coat flapping in the breeze as Ty settled on my shoulder in between my neck and the scarf. I saw the area where Fairy Tail used to loom over the city and walked in that direction. I neared the courtyard and saw the crater up close, feeling rage starting to creep up on the edges of my mind. We had all almost died thanks to the dragon and he took down the building that meant so much to us.

There were a bunch of tents set up temporarily and it looked as if a meeting was about to be held. People turned around and moved out of my way, clearing a path all the way to the front of the crowd with Zeref beside me. Makarov was standing on a table in the largest tent, looking out into the crowd and nodding at me before starting to speak.

"I know everyone is shaken up about what happened yesterday," Makarov said, looking calm as he spoke. "Thanks to Timara, we are all alive and well. We owe her our lives." Everyone began to cheer and clap for me, a few even going so far as to smack me on the back. I stayed stock still as the cheering slowly began to subside so that the guild master could speak again. "Now, we know the enemy at hand. For now, we need to decide what to do next. I think it's safe to say that we can't stay here. I suggest that we all head back to the Second Fairy Tail Building and regroup." Everyone talked amongst themselves and walked away in the direction of the other building, but I stayed in front of Makarov with Mira, Cana, and Erza.

"There's something that still bothers me about what that dragon said," Erza told us quietly. "It mentioned someone by the name of Diamantina. Who could that be?"

"Diamantina is Igneel's mate and Natsu's foster mother," I said, staring down at the ground with a frown. "She was the last of the Crystal Dragons before Acnologia attacked her. And there's something else I need to tell you all. Natsu is gone."

"I thought as much when I saw you wearing his scarf," Makarov said. "Do you know where he might have gone?"

"No, I don't have a clue. He knocked me unconscious to get a head start and also so I couldn't drag him to you to stop him," I said before looking up at him. "He said he needed to train on his own and he promised he would be back in three years' time."

"That's our Natsu, running off towards trouble without thinking things through," Mira said.

"I also have something I need to do," I said, giving them a determined look. "Acnologia said that he was going to track down Zeref again and I think it best if we don't give him what he wants, so I will lead him on a wild goose chase as far away from Magnolia and Fairy Tail as possible."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Cana asked. "This is a dark wizard we are talking about and an even bigger dragon."

"Zeref is actually a friend and has put his dark past behind him," I said.

"I personally think that if anyone can do this, it's Timara," Makarov said, giving me a confident smile. "You have my blessing and I hope everything turns out ok. I'll contact some colleagues in the other countries in case you need to cross the borders. Cana, the card please."

She nodded and pulled a blue black card from her belt before handing it to me. "If we ever need to call you back, it will glow with a golden light. I infused it with Fairy Glitter so that you could be on the other side of the world and still get the call."

I slipped it into my pocket and nodded. "I think I should go along with her," Erza said. "There should be at least two strong wizards from Fairy Tail on this task. Not only that, but I don't think Timara has fully recovered her powers back from yesterday."

"If that's the case, then I'm going along with them," another voice said and I turned around to see Gray approaching with Lucy walking beside him.

"Me, too," Lucy said as Loke appeared in his Celestial Spirit form.

"Obviously I'm going to help as well," he said as he pushed his sunglasses further up on his nose.

"Fine, you may go with her, just keep each other safe," Makarov sighed, then yelled after us when we turned around to leave. "And try not to destroy things! The Magic Council has already been breathing down my neck and I don't want to give them any more excuses as to why they should shut us down!"

We waved noncommittally as we walked off but kept his words in mind. It was strange to think that we would be gone from this city for three years, especially since I was now used to the city life. But now I had to get used to living out in the open again. The walk out of the city was a strange one since the streets were abandoned. No one was out doing shopping or even just walking around in the street, the shutters of the windows were closed off in almost every building and I knew that the people of Magnolia had to be cowering in fear after yesterday's attack. I felt Ty snuggle up against my neck in an attempt to make me feel better, but it didn't do any good as the main gates came into view. They had abandoned their posts and we walked right through, not once looking back at the place we call home as we left.

* * *

_One year later…_

Up in the boughs of a fir tree, I looked down upon the snowy wastelands below with disinterest. The wind whipped the snow around and tried to push me out of the tree, but I kept a tight hold of the trunk as my coat pushed out in front of my legs. I pulled it tighter around me and grabbed the hood to push it down over my eyes to keep my face in the shadows. I could see a small basecamp a mile away and that was what I was so intent on observing. I could hear wing beats and felt a gentle pressure on my shoulder before a cold furry body crawled under the hood to get warm.

"Timara, Erza said it's time. Iceberg's prime minister said that this is the last of the bandits plaguing the capital. She's sending Gray up here to help you fight them."

"I don't need his help," I said flatly as the bundle of fur used Natsu's scarf for warmth. Ty had gotten bigger in the year we had left Magnolia, not quite as big as Happy had been but still bigger.

"Erza said not to move from this spot until Gray gets here."

"I don't care," I growled, leaping down to the snow and sinking in a few inches. Thankfully, my fur lined boots kept my feet toasty warm as I stormed off in the direction of the camp. "If I was going to just wait all day, then I wasn't going to do this job and she knew it. It's Gray's loss for not getting here in time."

Ty flew out from the hood and grabbed me by the arm, trying her level best to tug me back to the fir tree but I was too strong for her. I yanked my arm from her grasp and zeroed in on the base camp, the shadows pouring off of me as I let my magic loose. I glared through the red eyes of the hood, which were made from a thinner fabric that could allow me to see through them, and stomped all the way to the outskirts of the camp. I didn't care about being sneaky as the alarm blared that there was an intruder. Ty sighed but flew over to my shoulder where she could stand and watch. A large group of people burst out of their tents and glared at me, shivering from the cold and holding out magical spears in my direction.

"You're making a grave mistake," I said just loud enough to be heard over the howling wind.

"No, _you're_ the one making the mistake here!" the leader with a strange leg bone attached to his coat said. He was the one I was supposed to bring in after forcing their bandit group to disband. "You just walked into the camp of Ice Claw and you're not getting away alive!"

"Not the most original of people, are you?" I said to myself before the shadows around me thickened even more. Two enormous bearlike creatures pulled themselves out of the snow, roaring loudly before charging at them. One kicked the leader down, who smashed his head against a rock and was out cold while the bears ripped into the rest. I could hear screams as I walked over to the leader of the group, snapping binds of darkness around his wrists when I heard a familiar shout. I turned back to see Gray standing there, watching as the creatures I created chased after the bleeding men through the snow.

"Don't you think that was a bit excessive?" Gray asked me before coming over to hoist the man, who had just woken up, to his feet and dragged him along. "And Erza said to wait until I got here."

"I don't need a babysitter," I said simply as I walked beside him.

"Obviously, you do or you wouldn't be acting out this way. Just because Natsu left doesn't mean that—" he tried saying before I cut him off with a growl.

"Don't. I don't need a lecture." We stayed silent after that for the rest of the walk back to the capital, which was just about five miles away through the thick snow.

It had been a year since the Fairy Tail building was destroyed by Acnologia and we had been on the run ever since. For about six months, we stayed within Fiore and moved around often, taking little jobs when we could just to have the money needed to survive. I kept our magic energy veiled in hopes that we couldn't be tracked, but it soon came to our attention that Black Eclipse had been following us the whole time when we kept seeing the ominous clouds following us quickly wherever we went. I did the only thing I could do to keep them off our trail for a while. I dragged everyone through a huge barrier of shadow like I did before Acnologia's attack, taking us miles away from Black Eclipse's trained eyes and passing out in the process. Erza made me swear never to do that again unless we were in an imminent life threatening situation. That was the day we decided to leave the country of Fiore for good.

The next two months were spent in the country of Seven, where the prime minister there was already notified by Makarov that we might be passing through. Instead of letting us just go through, he asked that we help him. He wondered if we would help do some damage control with the Dark Guilds and bandits the roamed free throughout his country. We were agreeable since it would keep us moving. Once two months had passed in his hilly country, we soon discovered the menacing clouds were discovered passing over the border and knew that the dragon was on to us again. We thanked the prime minister for allowing us to stay and then moved on to the next country.

We went south to the forest covered country of Bosco, the prime minister already awaiting us and asking for the same request that Seven's prime minister wanted. We stayed there for another two months before the clouds of darkness rolled over Bosco's border as well and we knew it was once more time to leave. Each time, we took out Dark Guilds until there were none left and were forced to depart. We then left for the snowy country of Iceberg after that and had been there for almost two months now. In the back of my mind, I knew that it was almost time for us to pick up and leave again, so I was getting a bit antsy to go.

"What happened to the Timara we used to know?" I heard Gray ask under his breath. "She'd never go this far."

"She's gone, just like the Fairy Tail building," I muttered darkly as the capital finally came into sight.

I let Gray take the man we captured to the prime minister and Erza, opting to head to the dormitory we were staying in for some peace and quiet. I walked down a few streets until I reached the center of the city, a blue building towering over the city with a few larger buildings around it. I found a gray one covered in snow that was where we were staying and ran up to the top floor, heading for the room that was the farthest at the end of the hallway and to the right of the window. I walked inside to see Zeref sitting beside the fire, watching the light flicker cheerily as I shook off the snow. I took off my coat and set it in front of the fire to dry.

I was different now than I was a year ago for sure. My hair was now short and spiky, almost similar to Lisanna's except for the fringe of bangs that covered my left eye. I wore all black now, a strapless skintight dress that went to mid-thigh and had smallish ragged cuts down the sides. I reached up and mussed my hair to get the snow out of it and adjusted the scarf around my neck to loosen it. With Ty flying over to Zeref and settling down on his lap, they both watched me as I sat down in the chair opposite of them.

"How was the ambush?" Zeref asked me.

"She blew it by going before Gray arrived and now Erza is going to yell at us," Ty whined.

Almost as if she had been summoned just by the use of her name, a crash as the door was thrown open and I hopped out of the chair to see Erza standing there, looking beyond angry at me as she glared fiercely. "What in the _hell_ were you thinking?!" she yelled, storming over to me and standing a foot away. "I specifically said to _wait_ for Gray to arrive before you attacked the place! You can't keep doing these things all on your own and you have to rely on people sometimes!"

"He wasn't there fast enough or I might have waited," I said calmly, only making her more enraged.

"If you keep this up, then I swear to you that the only way you'll be able to go out on jobs like this again is if you go with me," she growled before looking down at me and frowning, her rage ebbing slowly. "Have you been eating? You look skinnier than I remember."

I crossed my arms and looked away. "Of course I have."

"You're lying!" she exclaimed in surprise. "I can hear it in your voice and I can count a few ribs sticking out! What haven't you been telling us, Timara?"

"Look, I can't train with my Blood Magic unless it's on as close to an empty stomach as possible. If I try to use it after eating, I throw up everything and then it doesn't matter either way," I said quietly.

Erza sighed before taking the last step to me and hugging me tightly, surprising me so much that I jumped slightly. I awkwardly patted her on the back as she said, "I know you took it hard when Natsu left. In fact, I'm very sure that you were the most hurt in this. However, you can't keep treating your friends like enemies. We just want to help."

Even though I didn't want to admit it, I knew that she was right. I had been downright rotten to everyone for about a year now. For some reason though, it felt as if there was no turning back for me and that I would be stuck in this half-life. I nodded in acknowledgement and she pulled away with a watery smile. Beckoning for Zeref and Ty to follow, she grabbed me by the hand and dragged me out of the room. Zeref locked it behind us and we all went down the stairs until we reached the second floor, which had a large cafeteria of sorts. There, Erza made eat a small amount of food, just enough so that I would have sustenance in my system but not so much as to make me sick should I go out and train with my Blood Magic.

I later headed back to my room with Ty and quickly opened the door to see a disgruntled looking dragon sitting on the windowsill. I opened it and it flew inside, its black shadowy hide seeming to just absorb the darkness nearby. It landed on the desk and I saw that its wings looked tattered, as if it had been caught out in the storm.

"I'm glad I finally found you," Rogue's voice said through the dragon. "I figured that you might want to know this information."

"What is it?" I asked, feeling a bit apprehensive.

"This huge dragon appeared from within a storm and completely destroyed the Sabertooth building," Rogue said with a growl. "It said something about having to take out its opposition and that it wanted to collect all of the Dragon Slayers. We would all be dead if it weren't for the fact that I used my magic to pull everyone into the shadows and a few miles away."

"I had to do the same," I told him. "The dragon is called Acnologia and it destroyed the Fairy Tail building as well. It wants Zeref so it can create a new world where it rules supreme. I'm one of the only things keeping him out of the dragon's reach."

"I hate to tell you this, but your dragon has gone about and destroyed every single building that houses a Legal Guild," he said hesitantly. I gasped in shock as my thoughts swirled, barely able to listen to him as he spoke once more. "Sting and I are on the run with Frosch and Lector. We were hoping that we could join up with you. What's your exact location?"

"We're in the capital city of Iceberg," I told him calmly.

"Did I just hear you right? You're completely out of Fiore?"

"We had to lose Black Eclipse somehow," I explained. "They kept leading Acnologia straight to us no matter where in Fiore we went. This was the only way that we can stay a few steps ahead of him."

"Is Natsu protecting you the best he can?" Rogue asked with a growl. "He better be keeping an eye on my little sister or I will kill him myself."

"He isn't with us," I whispered sadly. "He had to go and train so that he can avenge his foster mother. Acnologia was the one who killed her."

"That bastard… how dare he just abandon you like that… When I get my hands on him, I'll—"

"You'll do nothing," I cut him off sternly. "I understand why he must do this. Some things you just have to do alone. However, he'll be back in two more years and be stronger than ever."

I heard Rogue sigh as the dragon began to fade. "Listen, send a dragon to me if you move onto somewhere else. I meant it when I said we should band together. I think it best for us to be fugitives together in this case."

The dragon dissipated into the air and now it was my turn to sigh. He practically threw himself into our little group without as much as a request to join. I knew why he wanted it so badly. Even he was afraid of what would happen if Acnologia caught him and Sting. I remembered in my nightmares that he said he would gather all of the Dragon Slayers for his collection and I wasn't going to allow that to happen if I could stop it. I worried about Gajeel and Wendy, but I knew that the dragon would be looking for the hardest to catch first because he loved the hunt.

I sighed but grabbed Ty to crawl under the covers and sleep. I hadn't had a dream in about a year, so I was deeply shocked when I saw a bright light when I opened my eyes in the dreamscape. I looked around and was deeply surprised at this turn of events. I thought that this might have been a sick joke created by the dark dragon, but I didn't hear any sinister laughter and for some reason I felt… safe. I heard a noise from behind me and whipped around to check my surroundings again, only to gasp in surprise at what I saw.

"… Natsu?" I asked in disbelief as I saw the familiar spiky pink hair and dark eyes, even a blue black tattoo with the same design as mine that pulsed darkly with every beat of my heart. The only thing he was missing was his scarf, which I still had around my neck.

"I see you've been taking better care of my scarf than you have been with yourself," he said, a frown on his face as he looked at me. "You even cut your hair and you look so thin."

"That doesn't matter," I said. "How the hell are you in my dreams right now?"

"Oh, that's easy. I found a wizard who uses Telepathy Magic and asked them to send me into your dreams so I could see you again." He gazed at me when I stayed silent, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Of course I am," I whispered. "It's just… a lot of things have happened in the year you've been gone."

"I can see that," he said, looking me up and down again. "I want you to promise me something from here on forward."

"What is it?" I asked him, looking around at the dreamscape around me.

He walked over to me calmly and before I could say anything more, he hugged me to him as tightly as possible and kissed my forehead. I hissed out a breath I didn't even know I was holding and wrapped my arms around him as well, my body shaking almost imperceptibly as he pulled his face away long enough to lean his forehead against mine instead.

"I want you to promise me that you'll take better care of yourself. I don't want you to turn so cold that you freeze out anyone who tries to get close to you."

"No, I don't want to promise that," I said to him. "It's too late to try."

"It's never too late," he said, pressing his lips to mine briefly. "You're strong. I know that if you set your mind to it, you can do anything. Just do this one thing for me, ok?"

With a growl, I said, "Fine, I promise…"

He gave me a smile before pulling away completely, the dream beginning to fade. In a panic I tried to run at him to grab hold of him so he wouldn't leave me again, but there was a flash of light before I woke up to knocking at my door. I sat up and rubbed at my eyes as the door slammed open again. When I was finally able to see, I noticed that it was once again Erza.

"What did I do this time?" I asked sleepily as Tyger got up as well.

"We need to leave right now," she said as she ran over to the fire and threw my coat to me. "That dark storm cloud is approaching and it passed the border much faster than normal. I think it will be here within the hour."

I sighed but did as she asked when she ran out of the room. I got out of bed and put on my coat, pulling the hood over my eyes before grabbing the sleepy cat and placing her between my neck and the scarf. We left the room and were greeted by an equally sleepy group of people from Fairy Tail, all of them not thrilled about having to leave in another blizzard.

"Listen up!" Erza yelled to get everyone's attention. "We are heading for the country of Stella next! Acnologia was just spotted heading in this direction and we need to leave now before he comes here to destroy the city. I've already talked to the prime minister and he sends his regards to our safe journey. Now, let's go!"

I zipped up my warm boots and my coat, making sure to stay warm now before we walked out into the snow. We made our way out of the dormitory and into the streets as silent as ghosts. We headed off in the direction of the south towards the country of Stella.


	12. The Despair of the Broken

**Hiya everyone! Thank you for the follows and such, it was awesome! And as for this chapter, a lot happens this time. It gets violent, but I think it's awesome and also fun to write. I think you'll all enjoy the action! Have fun!**

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**Chapter 12: The Despair of the Broken**

_One year later…_

I hissed in frustration as I heard a stone tumble down the rocky hill I was hiding on to observe a rebel camp, the telltale sign that my "bodyguards" had finally found me once more. Ever since they had caught up with us eight months ago in the resort filled country of Joya, Rogue and Sting had been forced by Erza to keep an eye out for me in case I did anything drastic. Like now, for instance. I had been strictly instructed to stay as far away from the rebel camp as possible so I wouldn't be tempted to go down there and take them on by myself.

"What are you doing out here?" I heard Rogue hiss, trying to stay silent so as to not alert the denizens of the camp. "You were told to guard the prime minister's daughter in case she tried to sneak out or if a rebel faction tried to kidnap her."

"Loke and Lucy are watching out for her until I got back," I said, pulling my hood down further over my eyes. "There was just something I had to see."

"What is it?" Sting asked me as he crouched down beside me, Rogue following not far behind.

"A few of their number are dressed in such a way that it seems familiar," I said, trying my best to think about where I'd seen it before.

I let my mind wander back into my thoughts as I pondered this mystery. The first two months after leaving Iceberg were spent within Stella catching outlaws from Bosco. They were hiding there to spread the slave trading industry and the prime minister wasn't going to allow it to happen. We completely eradicated the slave trade within Stella before having to move on the Joya when the ominous clouds were soon spotted. Joya's prime minister asked for us to get rid of their worst Dark Guilds and just leave the rest to them. We took out a few that were worse than some of the ones back in Fiore, Erza definitely not allowing just one person to attack them for fear that something would go wrong. After defeating them all and packing up to leave for the islands of Caelum just off the coast of the country of Minstrel, a battered and beaten Rogue and Sting arrived with their Exceed partners. They told tales of how Black Eclipse had ambushed them more times than they could count in an attempt to capture them.

The rest of the months were spent bouncing around from country to country, after Caelum it was Minstrel, then Midi, then one month in Desierto, and now the this last month in Bellum. When we had first arrived there, it was a war-torn country, the government against the rebels. So many things had gone wrong for them to have to call upon us to try to take them down. The rebels were a large Dark Guild, hoping to overthrow the government to rule the country on their own.

"Hey, Earth to Timara!" I heard Sting say as he waved a hand in front of my face to catch my attention. With a growl, I leaned forward and bit his hand quickly before he could pull it away, tiny beads of blood appearing and making him grimace. Sting looked over at Rogue, who seemed as if he was having a hard time stifling his laughter, and said, "I can definitely tell that the two of you are related. You're both jerks."

Since I was now bored of observing the rebel base and my body was beginning to protest, I left with them when they said it was time. Walking back down the hill, I heard wings flapping as they rushed to me, landing beside me to walk right next to me. Tyger was now as tall as the other two cats but now fiercer, making it well known to them that she was the boss. She had a black sundress on that I had made with the shadows, the only way she'd wear clothes at all like the other cats. All of us walking together, we snuck back down to the capital city of Bellum and to the large building at the city's center that housed the prime minister. Thankfully, Erza was nowhere to be seen and Lucy and Loke snuck back out of the room and left us with the little girl.

She had to be only five years old and extremely shy, not saying a word to either of us as we stood guard. I sat down in a chair that was facing a high window and watched the birds flying in the sky lazily, Ty hopping up to my lap and sitting down to do the same. I happened to look over at the prime minister's daughter for just a second to see that she was quietly reading a book, occasionally her lips moved as she silently read it. She was also quite smart for her age to be reading something like that. I saw Ty's ears twitch as she listened in to a conversation that Rogue and Sting just started, making me curious enough to do the same.

"… You know this is ridiculous," I heard Sting say, keeping my face in the shadows of my hood so that neither one of them would be able to tell I was eavesdropping. "We shouldn't be here babysitting an adult, we should be out there trying to take down as many members of Black Eclipse as we can."

"Watch your mouth, Sting," Rogue growled. "Erza just wants us to make sure my sister doesn't do anything rash. She's been acting differently ever since Natsu left. I mean, just look at how much her appearance has changed."

I stood up fast and grabbed Ty before she could fall, about to leave the room completely even though I was supposed to be on guard duty when I heard a small girly gasp. I whipped around to see her staring blankly at a wall now, looking as if she was seeing the most horrifying thing ever in her mind. This girl is clairvoyant, I thought to myself, and I wonder if her father even knows. After a few seconds, she shook her head and focused her eyes on me. She stood up quickly and beckoned me to follow her, looking a bit panicked and that's why I walked after her. I heard Rogue and Sting following after me as well as the little girl led us down many hallways and corridors until we reached what looked to be a huge indoor garden that was similar to a jungle. She led us through the trees and plant life until we found a large hole in the ground with tiny rocks inside.

"No, they're not rocks," the little girl said. "They're eggs and they're very rare."

As she spoke, a large black snake that was as long as Ty in her tiger form slithered out, its scales flashing red in the light as it moved. Its head was the size of a pineapple and its body was massive in width. As it stopped a few feet away from me, it lifted its head up until it reached up to my hips. I saw its eyes flash red as it hissed at me, eyeing Ty as if she were food. I let out a low growl to the snake, baring my fangs as its eyes flicked up to mine. We had a stare down for almost a full minute before it looked almost as if it had nodded to me and slithered over to the little girl. I was about to stop it when it rubbed its head against her cheek like a big cat, the scales on its skin flashing blue now in the light.

"Hello, Gawain!" the little girl laughed as she scratched under the snake's chin and wagged the tip of its tail like a big dog. "I see that you're protecting your brothers and sisters!" The snake let out a soft hiss, its tongue flicking out for a second and acting as if it was responding back to her. She laughed and looked back at us, the other two Dragon Slayers with me stared at her in surprise. "Gawain here is the first to hatch from my best friend's nest!"

"There's another big snake around here?" Rogue asked, looking around for it.

"Of course! Do you see that large boulder over there between the trees?" she said, pointing at the exact spot as we all looked at it. "Well, that's not a boulder at all. Her name is Guinevere and she's Gawain's mother!"

At the sound of her name, the huge snake lifted her head all the way until she was about ten feet taller than the trees themselves. The snake looked down at us but didn't make a sound, knowing we meant it no harm. It had ruby red eyes and long fangs that almost touched its bottom jaw when fully extended. The little girl ran over to it and gave it a hug, which I personally thought was strange.

"What kind of snakes are these?" I finally asked, glaring down at the one called Gawain when it hissed at me.

"They've got different names all over the world," she said, "but here we call them Death Kings. I think in your country, their names are Shadow Cobras."

"We've heard of them," Sting said, looking over to Rogue. "They lived out by our guild up near the mountain. We saw some once but they were little."

"Some stay very little after being born and some turn gigantic to protect the nest," the little girl explained. "I think it's time for your group to have one."

"Why?" was all I asked. I for sure didn't want something that would continually hiss at me or I'd roast it over an open flame and eat it, regardless of how big it was or could get.

"Because they are great friends. They have control over whether or not their bite kills, even then they can control when the venom kills you. They're also extremely intelligent. I think that Gawain here would be a great addition to help you all out."

"You want me to take this oversized reptile along with me?" I asked in disbelief. I didn't even think it was possible, but the snake glared fiercely at me before slithering over to me. It hissed and showed me its fangs so I growled at it.

"Yes, I do!" the little girl giggled. "And they're magic! They can shift into a tattoo on your skin so that no one knows it's there! And the tattoo snake moves around your skin occasionally!"

The snake grumbled unhappily but leapt at me, shrinking in size as he wrapped himself around my forearm. I lifted up my coat sleeve as there was a tingling and a flash of cold as it sank down to my skin, turning into a hyper realistic tattoo that shivered slightly before settling down. As I slid the sleeve back down, I could just tell that this snake and I were going to have problems, especially since we didn't like one another. The girl clapped her hands happily before waving at the mother snake named Guinevere and we left the garden.

As we were walking down the hallway back to the little girl's room, Erza and the prime minister rounded the corner. I saw an enraged look on Erza's face and a relieved one on the man beside her. "Oh, Gwendolyn, I'm glad you're safe! When we couldn't find any of you back in your room, we were worried!"

"Where _were_ you?" Erza yelled, making the two male Dragon Slayers bow their heads apologetically. "You're supposed to be watching her, not letting her go wherever she pleases."

"Daddy and Miss Erza, I had a vision and I needed to take them to the gardens!" the little girl named Gwendolyn told them. "I didn't meant to get them into trouble, but I felt deep in my heart that this was the right thing to do!"

The prime minister gave his daughter a smile and said, "It's alright, Gwen, but I just wish that you had left a note or something to explain where you had gone. Next time, that's what you'll do, ok?"

"Ok, Daddy!" she said.

She was about to walk off with her father when there was a large explosion that rocked the building. "What was that?" Erza asked, full of a fierce determination as we both ran to the window. There was a gaping hole in the wall that surrounded the city and a mass of people were flooding in, blasts of magic could be seen as they ran in to destroy things.

"The rebels decided to strike," I said with a growl. "We need to do something before they make it to this building."

"You, Rogue, and Sting go out there and keep them preoccupied so that we can close the inner gate. We can't let them in to take the prime minister or they've won," Erza said.

I nodded and opened the window, jumping out of it just as Ty grabbed hold of my coat and spreading her wings. Ty had recently demanded me to let her carry me as we flew, so I let her for as long as she could. Rogue and Sting jumped out of the window after me, their cats grabbing onto their clothes to carry them as well. We flew off as fast as we could towards the flood of rebels pouring from the wall and landed not far from them. They ran at us like heathens, screaming loudly as they sent their magic at us.

"Shadow Dragon's Ethereal Flame." I lifted my hand as shadowy fire erupted from the ground, taking out the front line and making the others behind them more cautious.

"Do you think we should use Dragon Force?" I heard Rogue ask Sting.

"Didn't you see her just take out a quarter of their forces with just one move?" Sting said, a grin could be heard from his voice. "I am pretty sure we don't need to bring out the big guns yet with her around."

I could hear screams from some of them, some saying that I was the demon girl or the shadow queen and all I could do was grin beneath the shadows of my hood. "She's enjoying this, isn't she?" I heard a voice say and turned around to see Gray approaching.

"When people praise me enough to call me by one of my nicknames, I just can't help but be happy," I explained to him. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"Erza sent me out here with you. She figured that the other two Dragon Slayers could fly around to pick off the strays while you and I have a little fun. How about it, Timara? Think the shadow queen is up for the job?"

I grinned at him, whipping my coat off and forcing it into my shadow. My short hair moved in the breeze and so did the skirt to my dress. It was all black and strapless again, showing off the three tattoos I now had and the gladiator style boots that I loved. I walked over to his side as Ty shifted into her tiger form. She was now much bigger than the both of us, at least three feet taller and more ferocious than ever before.

As she growled and watched the other two Dragon Slayers take off, I said to Gray, "I'm ready if you are, ice princess."

After whipping off his shirt, we ran at the large mob waiting for us and yelled as we charged. Ty roared and a few of their number ran off in fear. With Shadow Dragon's Roar, I took out another quarter of the group while Gray used Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer took out some more. Now that the odds were evened out, I used Shadow Dragon's Slash to attack with Gray at my side, Gray using Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance to take down as many as he could. Ty jumped and clawed the rest that tried to scatter and soon we were the only ones left standing. It wasn't until I heard an alarm go off from the middle of the city that I realized that something was horribly wrong. I turned around to see large black clouds with dark lightning flickering from within roll over the city and I felt a chill travel down my spine.

"You don't think that's…" Gray started to say before the words trailed off, a look of disbelief evident on his face.

"It is…" I whispered as Ty turned back into a cat and flew over to me.

I heard a noise as Gray was surrounded by a strange green light, then hit the ground as he fell unconscious. I turned back to see a large group of men appear almost out of nowhere all dressed in gray and I realized that it was Black Eclipse again. We just couldn't catch a break. They stepped aside to reveal a few of them holding Sting and Rogue, who were also out cold along with their cats. Ty looked up at me in worry but then the expression turned into one of determination as a deep roar could be heard from the clouds. I whipped around to watch as the large Black Dragon dove down from the cloud covered sky and crash landed on a bunch of buildings with a laugh.

"There you are, little girl," Acnologia said, giving me a grin that showed off every one of his long, sharp teeth. "Where is the wizard I seek?"

"Far away from you where you can never find him," I said with a growl, glaring up at him as the shadows around me swirled and thickened.

"Now, now. It isn't the time to be obstinate when I have already won," he growled back, bending down to put his head as close to eye level as possible, the smell of death all around him. "And the way I see it, I already have one Shadow Dragon Slayer for my collection. I will kill one of you."

"You leave my brother out of this. Just let him go and I won't be forced to slay you."

"I think I'll keep him after all and kill you instead once you tell me what I want to know," growled the Black Dragon.

"Never!" I yelled.

The huge dragon reared up on his hind legs, readying a blast from his Roar. I gasped, using the shadows to quickly move Gray behind me and into mine while forcing Ty there as well, and charged up my magic to match. I didn't have time to teleport myself away and knew that my only chance to survive this would be to counteract his move. He used his Roar just as I used mine, causing a crater to form around me but not once was I hit. We were in a standoff as our Roar's seemed to go on forever, my magic being sapped and I wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer when the Black Dragon let up on the last second with a laugh.

"I have to say, out of all the Dragon Slayers I've found so far, you're the only one to last so long in a fight against me," Acnologia said, his eyes sparkling evilly. "Not even the great Laxus could stay on his feet for more than a minute. I now have all the Dragon Slayers collected except for one. Your Fire Dragon Slayer still eludes me."

"If there's one thing I know I can count on, then it's Natsu," I told him. "If you do somehow manage to kill me, then I know for sure he'll avenge me. I hope you never find him, you evil bastard."

With a roar of outrage, he charged at me, making the ground shake with every step. Growing shadowy wings, I flew into the air off of the tiny piece of land, heading towards the inner wall to pull Gray from my shadow before heading back towards the massive Dragon. I created an army of demons and sent them all rushing after him, piercing my hand with my fangs and forming a sword made from blood that solidified sharply. Deep in the back of my mind, a part of me knew that it would be almost impossible for just one Dragon Slayer to defeat such an enemy, but I had to do everything I could to try. I formed more demons to keep Acnologia busy and wondered where everyone in the city was. When I finally realized how silent it was there, I knew that Black Eclipse had forced everyone unconscious like Gray, Sting, and Rogue. As the Black Dragon clawed his way through the horde of demons, I landed on its back to stab it with the blood sword, forcing blood poisoning on him without him even knowing about it when it shook me off of its back. I caught myself in midair and started to fly around him when it grabbed me so fast I didn't even have time to dodge it, losing my concentration on my blood sword and making it liquefy to drop to the ground.

"It's over, little Dragon Slayer!" Acnologia laughed. "All those threats to kill me were empty ones! I hope your last words are the location of Zeref!"

"You'll never find him!" I gritted out, trying to fight my way free from his tight grasp but I couldn't even move my arms. I felt claustrophobia pull at the edges of my mind and bit my lip hard to stop a scream of fear from escaping, blood now dripping down my chin in two trails.

"It's such a shame that I couldn't keep you for my collection, but you've just got too much fight left in you," he said as he lifted his hand into the air higher. "Goodbye, Timara Wyvernia!"

I couldn't make a sound as his hand rushed back down to the ground, opening his fingers so that my body slammed into the ground. I gasped as bones snapped in multiple places and blood rushed even faster past my lips. He grabbed me again, lifted me back up into the air as high as he could, and slammed me back into the earth. I was barely conscious now, the fight in me gone as I vomited blood and my body shuddered as it went into shock. Almost every bone in my body was broken and I was covered in cuts and bruises. Blood began to pool around me as I heard the Dragon stand back up.

"Keep the rest of her group unconscious until tomorrow," he said. "I don't want them to be able to save her."

"Great Dragon King, are you sure about this?" the familiar voice of the leader of Black Eclipse said. "She is one of the strongest Dragon Slayers alive. It seems like such a waste in my opinion."

"If I wanted to listen to your opinion, I would have asked you for it," Acnologia growled fiercely. "Now, unless you want to end up like her, I suggest you take those two Dragon Slayers back to your base. Keep the Shadow Dragon Slayer in the dark about his sister's death. And as for the Fire Dragon Slayer, you better find him fast."

I felt the wind slam into my broken body as Acnologia took off, the rest of Black Eclipse leaving as well. Once again, I was all alone, bleeding everywhere and nowhere to hide from the cruel reality of the situation as I slowly slipped into the relief of unconsciousness.

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I opened my eyes and noticed a sea of white, almost like the dream I had with Natsu. I knew that this time, given the situation I was in beforehand, that I must be on death's door. I sighed and looked around, feeling at peace even though I felt a sense of unease at being here. I knew it must be because I felt like I had something more left to do, but here I didn't feel the weight of all those responsibilities. I heard a slight noise behind me and turned around to see two people standing there. They looked so familiar to me and then it hit me as I saw the golden eyes and blue black hair on the woman, the red eyes and snowy hair on the man.

"Mom…? Dad…?" I asked on a whisper, feeling tears slowly slide down my face.

"Hi, honey," my mother said, giving me a small smile. "It's both good and awful to see you so soon."

"So I really am dead," I said, looking down at my feet.

"No, you're not dead yet, sweetie," my father said. "You're just at a crossroads. You now have a choice. You could either come with us and no longer be in any pain…" He paused for a few seconds, looking back at my mom for her to say the other option.

"Or you can stay in the world of the living to save the world but you'll have to heal with time," she said, looking pained to just say that to her own daughter. "Honey, we've been watching over you and your brother since we died. We know what you've been through. If you're done suffering, we will understand completely and accept you into our arms. If you decide to keep on living like the fighter we know you to be… well, we will accept that choice as well."

I felt my heart beat agonizingly as a wave of longing and love tore through me. I already knew my choice, but a part of me still wanted the other option as well. I ran over to them and hugged them both tightly. "I love you both so much, but I have to go back," I cried, closing my eyes tightly as I tried to imprint this dream into my memories for as long as possible.

"We're so proud of you, Timara," my father said as he clutched at us both. "Just know that you are never alone. We will always be here for you no matter what."

I could feel the dream state being pulled from me and I cried even more. I didn't want for it to end just yet and it hurt to think I wouldn't get to see them again for a long time. I held on even tighter as my parents did the same. Before long, I was ripped from their grasp and saw their tears as well. I screamed to them, reaching out a hand as I was sent back from the dream.

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Pain. Even as I was slowly pulled out from the cool darkness of the near coma, pain was all I felt. I couldn't move a muscle or I would feel such an excruciating agony that I would shudder, only making the vicious cycle continue. I could hear the running of tiny paws and opened my eyes blearily to see Ty coming over.

"Mara!" she screamed, using the endearing name for me that she made as a kitten. "Mara, no!"

"Ty…" I whispered, trying to smile but it only came out as a grimace.

"Help! Someone please help us!" Ty yelled, tears streaming down her face quickly.

"It won't work, Ty… Black Eclipse… they knocked everyone unconscious…"

I heard hesitant footsteps and Tyger gasped in surprise. "Zeref, come quickly!"

He ran over to me now, crouching down in my line of sight to gaze at me in disbelief. "What happened?"

"She fought Acnologia on her own, that's what!" Ty cried, running over to me to hug my head gently.

"He had my brother and said one of us had to die…" I said as I looked up at Zeref. "I couldn't let Rogue die…"

"So you thought it was a good idea to sacrifice yourself?" he asked incredulously, looking pretty angry with me.

"I also tricked him into thinking you weren't here… Get Ty out of here please… I don't want her to see this anymore…"

"No!" Ty screamed, burying her face in my hair. "I'm staying with you until the end! I love you, Mara!"

"I love you, too, Ty, but I'm not going to die like this… I'm just really tired…" I said on a whisper.

"Don't fall asleep yet until I can get you inside the inner walls to the mansion," Zeref said.

As gently as he could, he picked me up and held me in his arms. I screamed in anguish as my broken body protested, the pain increasing to devastating levels as I fought to stay conscious. With the edges of my vision darkening, Zeref ran as fast as he could towards the center of the city. Ty flew along beside him as they skirted the enormous crater from Acnologia's Roar. I could feel Zeref shaking subtly as he ran and looked up to see a barely contained rage forcing his magic out in smoky waves. His eyes were blood red and he was gritting his teeth as he ran even faster, making it certain to me that he was using his magic now to increase his speed.

He approached a hidden gate that only a few people knew about that led inside the inner wall of the city. He burst through the open gate, Ty pulling it shut behind her before we were off to the inside of the mansion of the prime minister. Everyone here was lying on the ground, completely unconscious as we ran past and not moving once. We even saw Erza in one of the main hallways as Zeref ran to the room I resided in. Once there, he set me down on the bed.

"You're not going to like this, but I need to bandage your wounds and set your bones back into place until a healer wakes. You can pass out now. In fact, I think it better if you do so."

With one last look at his enraged red eyes and the worried looks that Ty kept giving me as she hovered over his head, I did as I was told for once and allowed myself to be pushed back into the darkness once more.


	13. The Disquiet of the Wait

**Hello! I have put a lot of consideration into the inner workings of this chapter until I proud to say that this one is pretty great. Some exciting things are about to unfold and I think you all are going to like it. I can't say much about it, however, because that would spoil things for you all! Therefore, I will cut this short so that you can go ahead and read it! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 13: The Disquiet of the Wait**

It had only been a week after my fight with Acnologia, the one that almost ended in disaster for me. Even though Zeref was determined for me to stay for the entirety of the healing process, I just didn't care. I told him that I was going to free the Dragon Slayers that had been captured, even if I was still broken. That Dragon wouldn't be anywhere near the Black Eclipse base because he would be out looking for Natsu somewhere. This was something I could do alone, or at least something I could do with Tyger and no one else. However, this meant that I would have to evade my own friends and the enemies.

With bandages covering almost half of my body, I limped out of the capital city. I felt pain radiate from my right ankle, which was partially broken now after being healed, with every single step I took. I wrapped my broken left arm that was covered in thick bandages around my ribcage to force them to stop the pain. The bandaged wrapped around my head to keep a cut on my forehead from bleeding slipped down and I had to push it back up with my other hand. It wasn't until a wall of ice erupted from the ground that I knew I'd been had, startling me just enough that I fell to the ground. I whimpered in pain from the impact and tried to get back up only to fail. I saw black boots appear in my vision before I was hoisted back to my feet, turning my head to see that it was Zeref and he looked angry. His eyes were red as he gazed back at me, throwing my broken arm around his shoulders to keep me balanced and wrapping his other arm around my waist.

"If you think we're just going to let you walk out of here in the condition you're in," I heard Gray say, looking up to see him glaring at me as well, "then you're a bigger idiot than I thought."

"You watch your mouth," I growled, about to launch myself at him if it weren't for Zeref keeping me still. "I have to free them."

"Oh, yeah? And how are you going to do that when you were just limping along really slow? You aren't going to be able to run away if you need to. I guarantee that Black Eclipse has orders to kill you in case you survived."

"Listen to him, Timara," Zeref said as he began to lead me back to the prime minister's mansion. "You're in no shape to even be walking yet. Just let the healers do their jobs for a few weeks more. Then we'll all go after Black Eclipse."

"Yeah, Mara!" she said, flying in front of me and giving me a sad smile. "Once you're feeling better, we'll go fight those bad guys together!"

"Thank you, Ty," I said quietly as Gray came over to help Zeref take me back.

Three weeks later, I was completely healed and as impatient as ever. Gray, Loke, and Zeref took turns making sure I didn't run off until the healers gave the go ahead. I was pacing back and forth in my room with Loke sitting in a chair in the corner, just shaking his head as he watched me. Ty walked over to him and jumped up onto his lap to watch as well.

"Will you stop pacing?" he sighed. "You're starting to drive me crazy."

"Let me out and I will," I said, continuing on and glaring at the floor.

"The healer will be here soon to check on you. I think you can wait until then."

"If I had left here when I had wanted to, I would have freed the other Dragon Slayers by now," I grumbled.

"Yeah, and you'd also be dead," Loke told me sternly. "Then one of us would have to explain to Natsu why you're dead and I have a feeling he won't take it very well."

Before I could come up with some snarky retort, there was a knock at the door and a man in white robes entered. I stopped moving altogether as the healer came in, giving me a smile as he saw me. "Well, I see that we're raring to go today," he said, walking over to me. "Do you have any pain?"

"Yeah, I do and it's called impatience," I said, making the man laugh. "You do realize that I'm going to be leaving today whether or not you say I'm ready, right?"

"I have that under consideration, miss. And I think you're fine to leave now." He grabbed my left arm and squeezed it to feel the bones, giving a small when they didn't feel fractured anymore. He asked me to sit down and lifted my bangs up to check the cut there, which was completely gone now and didn't even scar. Next, he checked my ribs, which still ached a little but were healed, then went to check my right ankle. He checked the bones there and gave me another smile. "Aside from your ribs still being bruised, I give you a clean bill of health and also the clearance to finally leave here. Stay out of trouble!"

I heard Loke mumble something under his breath sarcastically as the healer left. I pulled my dragon coat out from my shadow and put it on quickly, pulling my hood up over my eyes. "Where do you think you're going so soon?" Loke asked just as Gray and Zeref came in the room.

"I have a hunch that I know where their base would be while Acnologia is gone," I said, wiping away the wrinkles on the fabric of my coat and catching Ty when she flew to me.

"You're crazy if you think we're just going to let you leave to do this on your own," Gray said. "Just let us get ready and we'll all go with you."

"I think we should wait, Mara," Ty said to me. "I have a feeling that they'll be helpful to us."

I sighed and nodded, trusting her judgment more than mine. I was led out of the room and down the hall to where Erza was waiting for us with the prime minister of Bellum and his daughter. Both of them gave me a smile while Erza walked over to lift my hood slightly to check how I looked. I gave her a nod and she smiled a little, dropping my hood and turning back to the prime minister.

"It's good to see that you're doing well now," he said. "Gwen and I were worried when we'd heard that you were on your deathbed during the fight and then a week later tried to leave to save some friends of yours."

"I'm sorry to worry you both so," I said, bowing my head slightly to show my respect. "It wasn't my intention."

"Now that Timara is healed completely, I think that it is time for us to go," Erza said.

"Ah, so soon?"

"Yes, it's time. We need to track down Black Eclipse to get our friends back."

I felt a fire burning in my veins from the excitement of getting ready to stop them, shifting my weight from foot to foot, feeling anxious to go. I heard Erza beckon for me to move and I practically ran outside. Once there, I took a big gulp of air and almost took off right then if it hadn't been for Loke grabbing my arm. I growled at him to get him to let me go, but he refused, saying that I needed to wait a little while longer for everyone to at least get out of the building. I sighed and bounced around on my toes impatiently until all of them filtered outside.

"Alright, Timara, you know more about Black Eclipse than any of us do," Erza said as she stood beside me. "Where do you think their base is?"

"The biggest country where they can hide and it would take forever to find them," I said. "They're in the Pergrande Kingdom."

We were about to take off in the direction of the northwest when we heard a noise from the sky. I hissed as I shrunk down to the ground, irrationally thinking that it was the Dragon when I happened to look up. An actual demon flew down on its huge batwings, the black tail and white hair streaming out behind it. I stood back up and watched as the demon landed, its image shifting until it reveal Mirajane.

"Hi, everyone!" she said cheerily, adjusting her red dress that had gotten a little twisted. "I'm glad I finally found you before you left!"

"Mira, what are you doing here?" Erza asked incredulously.

"Since Gildarts came back from his job, the guild master sent me to tell you something important!" Mira said with a smile before walking closer. "The Black Dragon attacked every Legal Guild in Fiore, but everyone survived like we did!"

"How?" Gray asked, looking surprised. I nodded and looked back to Mira, wondering the same thing. The reason Fairy Tail and Sabertooth lived was because of Rogue and I, but things were different with the other guilds.

"Well, Lamia Scale's Jura Neekis used Rock Mountain, Blue Pegasus flew away on Christina before Acnologia's attack thanks to Hibiki Lates used his Archive Magic to see the Dragon approaching, Quatro Cerberus' Rocker made a tunnel to lead them all out of the building, and as for Mermaid Heel… well, we just assumed that Kagura Mikazuchi was paranoid and left before the attack with the rest of her guild."

"What about the smaller guilds?" Lucy asked.

"Acnologia didn't bother with them," Mira explained. "If they were too small to put up a fight like we could, he left them alone."

I became antsy after all the talking and decided right then to sneak off. I figured that they could catch up or something and I'd just get a head start when Zeref grabbed my arm, pulling me back by his side and glaring at me. He leaned down until his lips were next to my ear and whispered, "Don't you dare. I know you and I will hunt you down like a dog if you try."

He kept a tight hold of my arm as the others finished up with talking. Mira was told that she could stay with us for as long as she wanted and we finally headed out. Gray and Zeref walked beside me, pulling me back to their sides when I strayed too far. I growled each and every time, not realizing that I was that much of a flight risk. The entire walk for the day was tense as several fights nearly broke out between us, but we managed to survive until nightfall.

* * *

_Eleven months later…_

I jumped from tree branch to tree branch in a dark forest in the middle of the night, thoughts of freedom swirling in my head as I ran. Erza told me to run along ahead of the group to be a scout while they rested, letting me burn out my excess energy that I had. We had been in the Pergrande Kingdom for a while now, but unfortunately we were fugitives here. The Kingdom of Pergrande had been overthrown by Black Eclipse a year ago, leaving the king to be beheaded to show the citizens their power. Think that perhaps the Dragon Slayers were being held there, Erza had sent me inside to check the dungeons in the castle, but I found nothing to suggest that they had ever been in there. Feeling frustrated, I let out all of the prisoners of war in the dungeon and completely destroyed it. That was when they found me and I defeated a good chunk of their army sized group with a grin on my face.

I stopped suddenly as a one story building appeared in a thicket within the woods. I saw members of Black Eclipse guarding it and I gazed down at it with a frown. I knew Erza wouldn't approve of me going down there, but I just couldn't stop myself as my curiosity soared. Ty finally caught up with me and caught my slow smile as I watched the guards.

"Oh, no, Timara, we can't go in there!" she hissed at me. "Erza will be so angry!"

"We'll be ok if we just sneak inside and take a look around," I whispered to her. "Besides, it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission."

I grabbed her and sank into the shadows, moving along through the darkness and past the guards. I moved down the hallways and searched for any familiar magic energy, but couldn't sense anything. I kept moving down and found a room with a bunch of monitors, three men standing inside the room. At first, I thought they were just monitoring the outside and inside of the building, but when I saw familiar faces on the monitors I was outraged. I blasted them with fists of shadows, knocking them all out instantly and jumped out of the darkness with Ty. I ran over to the monitors and growled, trying to figure out where they could possibly be but nothing worked to tell me what I wanted to know.

"I won't let this stand," I snarled, using the shadows to wipe out the monitors.

I walked back outside, creating shadowy flames to burn down the building as I walked along. I was beyond angry as I took out as many members of Black Eclipse as possible. I walked out of the building as an explosion shook the ground, hearing screams as the dark flames rose. I looked back and saw them running as fast as they could away from me. Even then, they didn't once try to fight me and I was deeply surprised.

I kept walking on into the forest for about ten minutes and was about to leap up into the tree branches when I heard a low growl from behind me. I whipped around to see a figure in a dark coat like mine, their face covered by the hood and I couldn't see who it was. Another deep growl and I knew for sure that this person was male, so I growled back to show I wasn't intimidated. Neither of us moved for the longest time for a few minutes, just growling at each other until we both launched ourselves at each other with the aide of magic. I was much faster, punching at him lightning fast and forcing him to dodge until the punches connected. I heard a roar of anger as he grabbed me and threw me down to the ground, making my ribs creak from the strain and I looked up to see him about to slam his fist into my face. I rolled away and hopped up onto my feet, sweeping his legs out from under him with a grin. He bared his fangs at me and ran full tilt to me, grabbing me by the collar and slamming my back into a tree trunk. My head smacked into the bark and I gasped, watching as stars appeared in my vision but shook my head and ducked to avoid yet another punch to my head. I grabbed him by the arm and twisted around so he was pushed headfirst into the bark of the tree before running a few steps away, turning around and waiting for him to attack me again.

I knew for a fact that I was irritating this person beyond belief by how tricky I was and finally decided that it was time that we put an end to this fight. He tore after me with an irritated yell, one that I thought was extremely familiar somehow, and I ran right at him, avoiding his fist and slamming mine into his stomach. A whooshing noise was heard as his breath rushed from his lungs and I thought I had won when he grabbed me, somehow managing to twist my arm behind my back to hold me still. I whipped myself around and kicked his feet out from under him, but he grabbed me as he fell and pinned me beneath him when we hit the ground. He grabbed my arms as I tried to punch him again and slammed them into the grass so I couldn't fight back anymore. I bared my fangs at him with a snarl when I caught sight of something that made me freeze.

My eyes had now fully adjusted to the darkness and I could see a little under the hood. A part of his coat had been pulled open to reveal a patch of skin from his neck and right shoulder. I gasped when I saw a blue black tattoo there that curled around in swirls, part of it draping down onto his collarbone. What surprised me the most was when I finally realized that it was almost exactly like the one I had and the tattoo seemed to pulse darkly with every flutter of my heart.

"N… Natsu…?" I asked on a whisper, watching as he tensed up and stopped growling. Slowly, I pulled one hand from his grasp and lifted it up to pull back his hood. With a gasp, my suspicious were confirmed as I saw the spiky pink hair and dark eyes that gazed down at me in astonishment once he both listened to me say his name and heard my voice. He did the same as he pulled my hood back to reveal my features, his breath rushing from his lips in surprise.

He placed his hand on my cheek and gently rubbed his thumb against my cheekbone as he whispered, "Timara, how…?"

Words failed me at that point as I felt tears forming, a soft whimper escaping my throat as I looked on at him in amazement. He sat up and gathered me in his arms, making me straddle his waist so he could bury his face in my neck and his scarf that was still wrapped around me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and did the same, breathing in his familiar scent that I had missed for so long as the tears slid down my cheeks. I could feel my neck starting to get wet as he silently cried tears of joy at having found me. I grasped at his coat in an attempt to pull him closer somehow when he pulled away just enough to kiss me hard.

His hands slid down from my back and to my hips to keep me still, kissing me again and making me shiver a little as our tears mingled together. He nipped at my bottom lip and made me gasp slightly, giving him the opportunity to slide his tongue inside my mouth and against my tongue. Even though we were both crying, the kiss was passionate and lasted much longer than any we'd shared before. After a few more minutes, we pulled away and leaned in to touch our foreheads together, panting heavily with small smiles on our faces. I could feel bruises forming from where his fingers dug into my hips and my lips felt swollen from his kisses, but I didn't care one bit as I closed my eyes.

"I hated being gone for all these years," he whispered, wrapping one arm around my waist again and the other stroked my hair. "At one point, I thought it might kill me."

"I know how you feel," I whispered back, sliding my fingers through his spiky hair lazily. "It felt like I was in a haze the entire time. I didn't realize how much I missed you until now."

"I heard a bit of your escapades while I was gone," he said, his hand on my back tracing shapes with his fingers. "I heard something happened while you were in Bellum, but no one really knew why it was you stayed there for so long. What was it?"

I tensed up a bit, pulling my face away from his and making him look at me in confusion. "Natsu, I really don't think you want to hear this story. It's not a pleasant one."

"No, I want to know," he insisted, giving me an earnest look and a small smile. I sighed but obliged, telling him everything that he wanted to know. I told him about the rebels attack the capital city, Acnologia taunting me with the capture of all the other Dragon Slayers, being defeated by the Black Dragon, nearly dying from my injuries, meeting with my parents, and finally the recovery period that seemed to just extend forever. Throughout the whole story, I watched his expression get darker and darker before he buried his face in my neck again. I felt a shudder pass through his body as he held me tightly and for the first time I heard him panting in fear. "I almost lost you and I didn't even know it," he said breathlessly, the shaking slowly getting worse. "What kind of person does that make me?"

"Oh, Natsu, don't beat yourself up over this," I told him sadly. "I just… wasn't strong enough to take Acnologia on by myself. I was arrogant and stubborn, which led to me believing that I could at least hold him off until everyone else woke back up. I was very wrong and almost dying was my punishment. I broke my promise to you that I'd take better care of myself."

"Never again," I heard his muffled words as he held me even tighter. "I will never again let the one I love be hurt like that. I wouldn't be able to survive if you died."

"… Love?" I asked, feeling my brain shut down in surprise at that one word.

He looked up this time, his eyes shining with that emotion I was becoming more and more familiar with. It had been a foreign one to me for the longest time after losing my memories, but now that I could remember bits and pieces it wasn't so strange to me. I had seen this emotion before, even if it was slightly different back in the past.

He kissed my forehead quickly to pull me from my thoughts and said, "Yes, Timara Wyvernia, I love you. I've had feelings for you since you first showed up in Fairy Tail. Even though you refused to let me in back then, I would try to get you to fight me because that was the only time you seemed happy and I would get to see one of your rare smiles. You're my mate and I love you. I won't leave you again."

"I love you, too, Natsu Dragneel," I whispered with wan smile. "I might not have known this so early like you did, but I do now and that's all that matters. I'm sorry about all the pain I put you through and I won't let it happen again either."

With a joyous smile, he hugged me tightly with a laugh. When I wondered where Happy was, I looked up into the tree branches where both Happy and Ty were standing, gazing down at us occasionally as the two of them talked. Eventually, we both stood up and decided to head back to the makeshift camp where everyone was waiting for me to return. Ty and Happy flew along as they carried us, shortening the time it would take for us to walk back. Once we had made it to the outskirts of the camp, I made Ty land and Natsu and I walked into camp.

"Erza, I'm back!" I called to her. "And I brought a hostage with me!"

"Timara, you had _strict_ orders to just scout out the surroundings!" she yelled, bursting out from her tent and freezing in her tracks as she caught sight of the pink haired man beside me. I saw her mouth open and close in shock, completely speechless as Natsu grinned at her.

"Hey, Erza!" he said, looking quite pleased with himself.

With a gasp, she ran at him, putting him in a headlock that was her version of a hug. It was too comical to be jealous for Erza was both blubbering happily that he was back and scolding him loudly for leaving. He patted her awkwardly on the back, both to console her and to get her to stop choking him. He looked to me for help but all I could do was laugh as Happy and Ty tried to separate the two. Finally, the others began to filter out of their tents as they heard the commotion, every one of them standing stock still when they saw who Erza was attacking. She caught sight of everyone else and finally let him go, Natsu gasping for breath and then grinning at the others. With a joyous yell, Lucy ran at him and hugged him, making me let out a low growl that forced Lucy to jump away from him with a sheepish smile.

As Loke, Gray, and Mira walked over to him and started talking with him, Zeref and Ty came over to me. "Now I have the two people that Acnologia wants more than anything," I said, looking over at The Black Wizard.

"I'm sure that he's already heard that you're still alive and wants you as part of his collection as well," Zeref said.

"How do you figure?" Ty asked as she landed on my shoulder.

"Timara is one of the few people who have survived a battle with Acnologia almost unscathed," Zeref told us. "In fact, everyone else that lived to tell the tale lost limbs after the fight, so I'm sure he'll want to find out how she managed it and most likely will torture her more once he gets her."

"Alright, everyone!" I heard Erza say, clapping her hands once to get our attention. "We should get our sleep and then in the morning we head out to search once more. Natsu, we don't have an extra tent for you, so you can either sleep on the ground or—"

"I'll be in Timara's," he said, cutting her off with yet another grin. With an amused laugh, I grabbed him by the coat sleeve and dragged him along to my tent, where we crawled inside and passed out almost instantly, his arm around my waist and my head on his chest.

The next morning, we got up and discussed our next move. I told them about the building I destroyed, the one with the monitors watching the Dragon Slayers they had captured. I told them that they didn't look like they were doing so well and that we needed to find them fast. Natsu said that he had checked other places on his own as well and that building was the second to last one on his list.

As he looked over at me, he said, "The only problem was that someone dressed all in black destroyed the place with black flames. I was so angry that I didn't even bother finding out who it was, thinking irrationally that perhaps the Dragon Slayers had been in there and that someone just killed them all. Then after we fought, I discovered that it was actually Timara." He reached over and grabbed my hand, sliding his fingers between mine and squeezing my hand tightly. He then looked back up and said, "There's one more place I haven't checked yet and I overheard it in the castle of the capital city just before the dungeon was destroyed."

"That was me as well," I said with a small smile. "I didn't find the Dragon Slayers there either, so I figured why not let out their prisoners of war and then destroy the dungeon after to show my displeasure."

"I don't think you understand how much of a troublemaker this girl is," Erza sighed, just shaking her head with a smile. "I had to have people watch her constantly because first moment she's alone, she's ended up either destroying things or fighting people. I don't know how many fights she's gotten into with Black Eclipse anymore. I'm pretty sure that Gray and Loke are quite tired of her."

"Yes," they both said simultaneously, then Gray said, "A week after she was badly injured in the fight against Acnologia, she tried to leave to go to the Pergrande Kingdom. She thought she could limp all the way there."

"We then had to drag her back and keep watch for three weeks until she was completely healed," Zeref said with a smile. "She's definitely kept us on our toes."

"One more question before I tell you about the last place the other Dragon Slayers might be," Natsu said, a serious expression on his face as he looked at everyone. I saw him shaking almost imperceptibly as he held onto my hand tighter. "Just where were you all while she was fighting with Acnologia? Why didn't you fight by her side so she wouldn't have died?"

"Natsu," I said, squeezing his hand to make him look at me. I could see anger blazing in his dark eyes as he turned to me. "A wizard in Black Eclipse is very adept at using Sleep Magic and cast it on the whole city except for Ty and me. That wizard kept them unconscious for a day and the only one who was unaffected by it was Zeref. He was the one who found me after the battle and helped Ty carry me back into the inner walls of the city. There was nothing they could do, so don't blame them."

He didn't look happy about it but he nodded, calming down just a bit. He gazed back at the rest of the group and said, "Alright then, here's what I know. There's a mountain not far from here and it's hollow. I guess the locals said that it used to be a volcano back in the day, but now it's inactive and shows no signs of ever erupting again. Inside the volcano itself, there's supposedly a huge building and the only way to get inside is to sneak into a secret tunnel."

"Why can't we just climb up the outside of the volcano?" Gray asked.

"Getting up the mountainside is easy, but going back down once you get to the top is difficult," Natsu explained. "Not only that, but they'll probably have guards posted on the roof just in case someone is stupid enough to drop down into the volcano like that. I say we send someone to sneak into the tunnel, go into the building itself, and cause as much chaos as possible that no one looks twice at our group rushing in." That was when Natsu looked back at me with a smirk. "So, Timara, are you up for a little fun?"

Slowly, an evil little grin spread across my face and I said, "Oh, you just made my day."


	14. The Hope of the Freed

**Hiya, all! Sorry it took so long to finally post another chapter! I had some things pop up in life that pushed back my writing times. Action is just around the corner, as foretold in the previous chapter, and there will even be a surprising bit that I feel needed to be told since the beginning. I just didn't feel it was the right time to write it in until now. Enough of my explaining for I think you'd all like to get back to reading! Anyway, enjoy the latest chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Hope of the Freed**

The entire way to the volcano I practically skipped around, elated that I would get a chance to let out my destructive tendencies again. I had my hood down and my coat undone so that it flapped around behind me, the skirt of my dress doing the same as the wind whipped around me. This blue black dress was strapless, but on the back in between the Fairy Tail mark was two long pieces of blue black translucent fabric that glittered in the sunlight and it fluttered down like wings past the coat in the wind. It even forced my bangs out of my eyes, ruffling my still short hair as I skipped along. Natsu had already taken off his coat, not bothering with keeping his identity a secret from Black Eclipse anymore.

It was midday by the time we found the inactive volcano looming up out of the forest. We stood outside on the edge of the woods and observed a few guards standing in front of a rocky door. "We should wait until nightfall," Erza said. "Timara can sneak in around dusk and then set off a distraction once she finds the others."

"I'm going with her," Natsu said as he moved to stand beside me.

"No, you're not," I told him. Then, quoting his exact words with a smile, I said, "This is just something I have to do alone."

"Damn it, Timara," he growled under his breath. "I'm not letting you go on your own."

"Do you trust me?" I asked simply as I looked up at the clouds and then back to the guards.

"Of course, I do but—" he said before I cut him off.

"Then you'll stay with the rest of the group and let me do what I do best," I said before turning around and jumping up into the branches of a tree.

I stood there within the darkness of the leaves, keeping one hand on the tree trunk for balance and letting the other one hang down by my side. I ignored any attempts at conversation from anyone except for Ty, waiting patiently for once for the time when the sun would set. Finally, the sky began to turn orange and soon a purplish color. I looked down at the group after doing up my coat and pulling my hood over my eyes, Natsu giving me a nod as I leapt from the boughs of the trees, shifting into the shadows before me as I moved along. As I passed by the guards in the shadows at their feet, I reached out to grab them by the ankles and pulled them down with me, knocking them out and then throwing them back into the light. The tunnel was covered in guards as well, so I knocked them all out instantly so that they wouldn't issue an alarm just yet.

The moment I moved out into the shadow of the inside of the volcano, I could immediately sense the magic of our Dragon Slayer friends. With black wings forming on my back, I leapt out of the shadows and flew up to roof, taking out the guards there easily. Now comes the fun part, I thought to myself with an evil grin. I finally took off the coat and dropped it down into my shadow as I walked to the door that led down to the next floor. I pulled Natsu's scarf a little tighter around my neck and opened the door, walking down to the next floor to be greeted with a large group of people.

"You didn't just think it would be this easy to sneak into our lair, did you?" the man I recognized as one of the leader's buddies said and I was certain that he was the one with the Sleep Magic. "We've been expecting you to come in here!"

"And that's exactly what I was counting on!" I told him before yelling, "Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

A huge blast of shadows hit them all, creating a huge hole that extended all the way to the outside of the building and shot its way to the volcano wall. I watched sheepishly as it blasted a hole to the outside as well, huge rocks could be heard sliding down the mountainside. I walked over to the hole in the building and looked down, seeing everyone I'd hit with my Roar lying on the ground below.

The building still shook a little and I said, "I think I might have overdone it a bit, Ty."

My shadow rippled as she flew out of it, hovering next to me and then said, "I agree. But at least they know that it's time for them to come in!"

With a smile, I nodded and took off for the stairs again to see another group of them running after me. Another Roar had them being blasted out of building and I ran down the steps two at a time. The next floor yielded the results I wanted, feeling the magic energy of a Sky Dragon Slayer. Using my magic to create an exact replica of the key needed to unlock the door, I slid it into the keyhole, turned it, then opened the door to see an exhausted looking Wendy and Carla. Once they saw me, they ran at me with tears streaming down their cheeks.

"Oh, Timara, you're here to rescue us!" Wendy cried. "Thank you so much! They've done so many terrible things to us!"

"Like what?" I growled as she hugged me, wrapping my arms around her skinny body as she shivered.

"They had to do things to keep us from using our magic," she whimpered. "For me, they kept low amounts of oxygen in the room so I couldn't fight back. I can only imagine what they did to the others."

It didn't take long to find out because on the next floor below us I could sense the magic energy of Laxus. His room was one with the insides completely covered in just concrete. I made a key for his room and opened it, making him grin up at me as sparks flew from the door and he absorbed them quickly. "Oh, Timara, I never thought I'd be so happy to see your evil little face."

"Good to see you, too, Laxus," I said with a laugh as he walked out.

I heard more running behind us and used my magic to send two demons after them. We ran to the stairs and I could hear screams as the demons did their work. The next floor had Gajeel and Pantherlily waiting for us, sitting in a room with the constant sounds of thunder. This room looked to be covered in pillows and Gajeel was in a straightjacket so he couldn't bust his way out. When I opened the door, all I could do was smile at them as another bout of thunder had Panterlily crouching down in fear as he covered his ears.

"Well, isn't this just a pleasant sight," I said, grinning at a glaring Gajeel and his cat. "Sure, I'll let you out, but I think the straightjacket has to stay on."

"You better take it off of me, girly, or I will destroy you when my magic is back," he growled at me, giving me a psychotic grin.

"You could try, but you'd fail," I told him, the shadows forming long, sharp claws on my fingers. I pulled him to his feet, turned him around so that his back was facing me, and then sliced the straightjacket from him without scratching him as well.

With a devious grin, I created shadowy flames again like the other day and watched as everything caught fire. With an explosion that rocked the building and another one from further below, we went down the stairs and to the next floor where I saw our group of friends with the now free Dragon Slayers that they found. I looked over at Rogue, who previously looked devastated enough to be zombielike, and he gaped at me in shock.

"You're alive…?" he whispered, his eyes wide as he took a step towards me.

With one more step to me, I ran over to him instead and threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly as he did the same. I felt him shake in emotional exhaustion and relief, his breathing ragged as he clutched at me. "I'm sorry, Rogue," I whispered to him. "I didn't mean to worry you. I tried to get here as soon as I could to clear this up for you because I heard them say they'd keep you in the dark before I passed out."

"I managed to wake up as they were dragging me away and saw you lying there," he said, sounding horrified as the memory replayed in his mind. "You were lying so still in a pool of your own blood… I tried to fight them to go to you, but they knocked me out again…" I heard a noise that sounded like someone clearing their throat and looked over to see that it was Natsu, so I glared at him with a frown on my face as Rogue continued on. "I kept seeing it every day, just you looking so broken and lifeless…"

"Well, I'm not like that anymore," I explained to him, patting his back gently as pulled away a little. "But now we need to leave here before it blows up around us."

He still looked as if he was in a daze, so I grabbed his hand and led him along as we ran down the hallway to the stairs. When someone from Black Eclipse showed up to stop us, either Erza or Gray took them down since they were at the front of the line. As we kept running, the building began to shake heavily and I knew it wouldn't be long before it collapsed. We ran even harder when we reached the ground floor and heard a deep rumbling noise. The building was coming down and everyone was almost out when I heard a scream. I turned around to see that Wendy had fallen, looking panic stricken as she slid to a stop on her stomach and Carla tried to pull her to her feet. I heard someone yell my name as I jumped at them both, using my body to protect them from falling debris and used my Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic just in time to create a small barrier as the building crashed down on us.

"Thank you again, Timara!" Wendy cried as I sat up so I wouldn't crush her with my weight. "It's the second time today that you've saved me!"

"It's alright, Wendy," I told her with a feeble smile, feeling a bit tired from keeping the building from killing us. "Thankfully, most of this building is made from metal, so I'm sure Gajeel will be able to get to us sooner rather than later. Or Natsu will burn his way through, although I hope not."

"You can't just somehow drop us into the shadows and get us out of here?" Carla asked me incredulously.

"In this case, no," I said. "The building used to be huge and the rubble is extremely heavy, so it takes a lot of concentration and magic to keep it from dropping on our heads. I'd have to drop this barrier first before I could pull you into the shadows and by that time we would be crushed. I can keep the barrier up just long enough for the others to get to us."

After a while, I began to wonder if we were just buried too deep under all of the metal and concrete when I could hear a faint rumbling noise coming from somewhere. I had a bad feeling when the rumbling noise got much louder and on a whim I strengthened the barrier just in time as an Iron Dragon's Roar blasted into it, leaving a huge hole in the rubble as Natsu and Gajeel could be seen running towards us. When I didn't think that the rubble would collapse on us, I let it go and led Wendy and Carla to the two Dragon Slayers waiting for us.

"Hey, you idiot, you could have killed us!" I growled at Gajeel, trying to punch him when Natsu grabbed me to keep me away from him.

"Well, sor-ry, princess! I had your mate breathing down my neck the entire time and this was the quickest way to get him off my back!" Gajeel yelled at me. "Nothing else I did seemed to work and since leaving you behind wasn't an option, this was the only thing I could do!"

By this point, I was trying to leap from Natsu's grasp and attack Gajeel myself when Natsu picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder as we all ran outside just in time for the tunnel Gajeel made collapsed as well. I tried to get free again and almost succeeded if it hadn't been for a happy Tyger flying in front of me to hug me, screaming about how she had been worried the entire time.

"Do something like that again," I said, glaring and having to be loud over Ty's blubbering, "and I will end you."

I watched as Wendy and Carla ran over to Lucy and Erza, looking a bit disgruntled as everyone decided that it was time to move on. Natsu, who still had me thrown over his shoulder and refused to let me go, kept me as far away from Gajeel as possible. Zeref walked beside me and tried not to laugh as I kept myself somewhat upright as I was carried around. I heard Natsu call his name and Zeref looked at him, curious as to what he wanted.

"Why didn't you get to her earlier when she fought Acnologia?" Natsu asked him. I sighed, trying to squirm my way free only to have him tighten his hold.

"I'm still here, guys," I grumbled. "And by the way, it would have blown my cover."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked, the both of them looking at me strangely.

"I told that idiot Dragon that I had Zeref hidden somewhere that he would never find him," I explained. "I can't exactly have Zeref barging in at the wrong time and making me a liar. Not only that, but that would mean practically giving Acnologia what exactly what he wants."

"I thought there was something wrong with that gate," Zeref said to himself as he concentrated back on walking. "I couldn't figure out why I had seen people going in and out of it all day, yet it was locked just for me. You did something to it that day to keep me in."

"I ought to be angry at you," Natsu muttered under his breath. "I think I'm just going to have to carry you the rest of the way until we camp for the night as punishment."

The rest of the time before we camped for the night, I tried to free myself from his hold as he walked along. I could tell he found my efforts amusing and that was what made me come up with even crazier ideas. At one point, I had Ty grab my arms and try to pull me away, but that only resulted in a messed up version of tug-of-war, one that almost sent her flying into a tree. After a while, I became so frustrated that I began to claw and kick to get him to let go, making him stop just long enough to bite my leg hard.

"Ouch! Damn it, Natsu!" I yelled as he kept walking along as if nothing happened. I could hear his quiet laughter as the others turned around to check on us before going back to talking amongst themselves.

"Stop trying to escape then," he said simply.

"I'm going to end up getting rabies one of these days," I grumbled to myself, only making his laughter get worse.

Finally, Erza called out that we would be staying in a thicket just up ahead and Natsu let me down, making me practically run towards it and flop down on the grass. With a snap of my fingers, all of the tents erupted from my shadow and set themselves up on the grass around me. Thankfully, it was time for sleep as a few people had to share tents since there wasn't enough for everyone. Erza said I could go to the nearest town after sleeping and go steal a few more from Black Eclipse. With an exaggerated salute to her, I wandered over to my tent before Natsu got there.

"Oh, Gawain," I said, lifting my arm up to see the snake tattoo wrapped around my forearm shiver slightly as it listened to me. "Be a dear and go out to keep watch. Stay the size you were when I first met you so you won't be seen."

_If I must_, the snake grumbled in my mind before leaping from my arm and getting larger before it hit the ground. It was huge by the time it slithered out of sight, but still not as big as its mother in that form.

"Who is Gawain?" I heard Natsu ask as he walked over in my direction from a few tents away.

"You'll find out soon enough," I said with a smile as I crawled into our tent. It wasn't long after he followed me that we both fell asleep, Natsu holding me tightly and burying his face in my neck as he slept.

It was almost morning when I had felt like I had been bitten, waking up with a jolt of surprise. Although the first person I suspected was fully asleep and quite incapable of doing so, I soon realized that it was my mental link with Gawain. He must have been calling me for quite some time and finally got tired of waiting.

_Took you long enough,_ the snake hissed. _I thought I was going to have to take charge instead if you kept refusing to wake up for me._

_What's going on?_ I asked him sleepily in my mind.

_A group from Black Eclipse is here to ambush you all while you sleep. Do you want for me to take care of them on my own?_

_Well, you haven't had a decent snack in a while, so why don't you have fun,_ I told him as I curled up against Natsu for more sleep.

_As you wish,_ Gawain said and I could hear the glee in his voice.

I tried to go back to sleep but when I heard a rumbling noise and then a scream, I knew I had made a mistake. With a quiet sigh, I tried to sneak out from under Natsu's arm that was wrapped around me, only to make things worse when he hugged me to him even more tightly. In frustration, I inwardly growled to myself and wriggled my way free, practically bolting from the tent and disappearing into the darkness. I jumped up to the trees, jumping from their boughs gracefully until I heard another scream nearby. There was a large crowd of people all wearing gray, cowering before a snake that was as high as the trees in this forest. He hissed, picking off anyone who tried to run from him and eating them. With a jump, I landed lightly on the huge snake's head, letting out another hiss that almost sounded like a growl.

"So, Gawain, what do we have here?" I asked, grinning down at everyone as they cowered in fear.

_Intruders,_ the snake said, _and what's worse is that this isn't the only group. There's a larger force about to strike from the opposite direction._

It wasn't until I heard a familiar roar that I felt the blood drain from my face. Giving Gawain the go ahead to eat them if he wished, I bolted back to camp as fast as I could, biting my hand and creating a blood sword as I ran along. I heard a scream from Wendy and I ran even faster, jumping from tree to tree and just missing a quiversful of arrows shot at me. With a snarl, I slashed at another bout of arrows before smashing them with a wave of shadows, knocking them out before hopping down to the ground outside the camp. With a strange sense of intuition, I dove down onto the grass just as a large blast of fire tore through the air where I had been standing. I scrambled to my feet and rushed past the tents to see chaos unfolding before my eyes.

Black Eclipse members were everywhere, their numbers vast as about ten of them were needed to keep each person down. I could see Natsu was close to breaking free, looking livid as he roared and sent fire everywhere. With a yell of my own, I launched myself as his attackers, using Shadow Dragon's Slash and swinging my blood sword as well until most either ran in fear or were felled by my attacks. Together, Natsu and I took out the rest, freeing everyone and leaving just one wimpy member of Black Eclipse to interrogate.

Erza, who almost looked scary as she grabbed the guy by the collar and lifted him into the air, said, "Here's the deal. You tell us everything you know and we'll let you live. If you don't, two of my Dragon Slayer friends will get a chance to turn you into their own personal punching bag." I gave the poor man an evil grin, even going so far as to wave at him, and he gulped before nodding enthusiastically. "Good man. Now, why were you sent here to attack us while we slept?"

"To kill her!" he whimpered, pointing right at me. "Our leader said that she's too dangerous to let live after she survived Acnologia's attack! He's worried that she'll ruin our plans!"

"What plans?" I growled, taking a step closer and making him cower in fear. Zeref, who looked curious, walked over to stand beside me with Natsu.

"I don't know!" the man cried as he looked at Erza. "I'm just a lowly member! No one ever tells me these things! I just know that only she has the power to stop it!"

"Why is she the only one able to do all this?" Erza asked curiously.

"I don't know that either! It was something about how he suspects her to be a lot stronger than she lets on, just like the pink haired guy over there!"

Figuring that this would be all she could get out of the man, she dropped him to his feet and we all watched him run away. "I think we need to pay the castle of Pergrande another visit," I said, still looking in the direction that the man went.

"I think that's a bad idea right now," Erza said. "I think they'll be waiting for us to do exactly that."

"I can sneak in there easily enough," I told her. "I could grab their leader and drag him outside."

"No, Timara," she said as she walked away. "It's too dangerous right now. You are not to go there and that's an order."

I growled in outrage and stormed off, heading back to where Gawain was hiding as Ty flew after me. Once I had the snake back around my arm, this time it was wrapped around my upper arm, I decided to take a walk to cool off. I needed to get to the castle to find out more about this plan that Black Eclipse was hoping to set in motion. By this point, I only managed to get even angrier when I heard a strange noise behind one of the bushes close by. I saw Tyger's ears prick up before she dove into the bushes, a couple screams could be heard as two Exceeds were thrown into my sight. Ty, with a proud look on her face, flew back to me and I held her in my arms after she put her wings away.

The male cat was black with white stripes and wore a fuzzy brown vest. He looked up at me with bright blue eyes that seemed cold as it looked angry. The other cat was female that was completely orange, a white dress that was wrinkled now from being pushed down. She opened her eyes after a while, her mint green eyes gazing up at us, and gasped in shock.

"Could it be…?" she asked in disbelief, staring at Ty as she stood to her feet. She looked back at the other cat before turning her focus back at us, more specifically me. "Where did you come across that Exceed that you're partners with?"

"I caught her as she fell from a tree not long after hatching three years ago," I said, staring down at them both.

"I was right then," the female cat said, looking down at her feet with a strange expression. "Liam, it's our daughter…"

"Do you think so, Evelyn?" the black and white striped cat asked, looking back and forth between the orange cat and Ty.

"I'm certain of it. A mother just knows these things," she whispered.

I felt Ty tense up in my arms and I growled, startling both cats standing there. "If what you say is true, then how dare you… How dare you do that to your own child! You just abandoned her!"

"You have every right to be angry, but we were afraid," the one called Evelyn said. "She could play with shadows like they were alive, just from inside her egg before she hatched. The other Exceeds we lived with left us because they were so scared that she was a demon, so we thought that the best thing would be to leave her in the nest and hope that nothing bad befell her."

"She fell from the tree and broke her wing!" I yelled, glaring fiercely at both cats as I felt Ty shaking slightly. "She would have died from the fall if I hadn't been there! I think I was more of a mother to Ty than you'd ever be!"

"Timara, stop," Ty said quietly, the shaking only getting worse. "I have something to say to my 'parents.'"

"Listen, what was your name? Ty, right?" the black and white cat named Liam said. "We didn't do this because we didn't love you."

"That's right!" Evelyn piped up, clutching at her paws nervously. "We did it because—"

"Both of you, shut your mouths!" Tyger yelled angrily and I could feel tears dripping down onto the bare skin of my arms. "You just _left_ me because I was different! You didn't even know for sure because I was still in my egg! You didn't even give me a chance!" I hugged Ty to me a little tighter and her tears fell even faster. "It was just like what happened to Timara! You were both too much a coward, so you pawned me off to be someone else's problem or tried to kill me by leaving me defenseless!"

"That's not right at all! We'd never—!" Evelyn sputtered but Ty cut her off once more.

"No, you don't get to try to excuse your actions anymore! I'm done hearing you speak!" Turning her head to look back at me, Ty said, "Let's just go now, Timara. We can go and attack the castle now."

I walked on for a long time silently as Ty stayed eerily quiet. After a while, I couldn't take it anymore and I held her away from me so I could turn her around to look in her eyes. She looked so sad as she quietly cried, her red eyes looking at everything but me. I knew there wasn't much for me to say or do, so I pulled her close so that her head rested on my shoulder and hugged her comfortingly.

"I'm so sorry, Ty, that you had to find out what happened all those years ago," I whispered to her. "Just know that this doesn't change anything between us and that I'll always be here for you. You mean so much to me, my friend."

With my words, the dam broke and she sobbed loudly, her tiny body shaking with the force of her emotions. She hugged me back the best she could, wrapping her arms around my neck as far as they could go and we stayed like that for the longest time. I rubbed her back soothingly until her cries subsided into hiccups, her breathing hitched as she slowly calmed down. When she didn't make a peep after that, I sensed something stalking me from afar in the shadows.

With a sigh, I called out, "You might as well stop slinking around like an alley cat. I know it's you, Rogue."

I head a soft chuckle as his body rose from the shadows, little Frosch hiding behind his leg as the cat looked up at Ty. "You were always too good at sensing me when I'm following you. It's definitely a sibling thing."

"No, it's just a me thing," I said as I shook my head. "Now, what you want?"

"I came here to go with you when you inevitably go rushing foolishly to the castle," Rogue said to me. "I figured that since I'm the only one out of the group that can actually keep up with you step for step that I might as well go with you. That way, Erza and Natsu won't have an aneurism when they find out you left to do this alone."

"Do you actually think you're up to this?" I asked him. "I mean, we just freed you from the Black Eclipse compound in that volcano not that long ago. Do you even think you can keep up with me?"

"I'll make sure I do," he said with a smile.

With a nod, I leapt up into the boughs of the trees and watched as Rogue followed suit after picking up Frosch. We then jumped from tree to tree in a westward direction, occasionally jumping into shadows and jumping out again to move even further. It wouldn't be long before we found out Black Eclipse's plan and I would put an end to it.


	15. Black Eclipse's Evil Plan

**To my dear readers, thank you all for sticking around for so long! I apologize for having taken so long to write this chapter, but I was pretty sick so concentration was at its lowest levels. I think it's now time to say that this story is slowly drawing to a close. The end will be here soon and it's been one heck of a run. This has been a lot of fun and it's only going to get better after this chapter. We find out here what it is that Black Eclipse has in store for everyone and our little group has to go stop them. Anyway, enough of my babbling on. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Black Eclipse's Evil Plan**

"Timara, please tell me that you have a plan," Rogue said as we stood among the branches of a tall tree, looking down upon the castle town in the capital city of Pergrande.

"Do you really think I'd just charge in there without one?" I asked, watching the guards throughout the city. There seemed to be a lot more since my first attack.

"Yes!" both Rogue and Ty said at the same time.

"Frosch thinks so, too!" the little cat in the pink frog suit piped up as well.

"Oh, shut up, all of you," I told them, looking for a pattern within the city.

"So you don't have a plan!" Rogue sighed.

"Of course, I have one!" I said. "You're just not going to like it is all."

He looked back down at the city, which I was still staring at intently, then back up to me. "It better not be to go down there and let them capture us." When I just stayed silent and seemingly ignored him, he groaned. "Oh great, that really _is_ your big plan."

"You know, I don't recall asking you to come along," I said, finally looking up from the city and at my brother. "You wanted to go with me and now that means we do things _my_ way. Not only that, but any plans we make will all end exactly the same. There's just too many Black Eclipse guards running around down there and I'm sure they've got Light Magic just littering the inside of the castle. We'll definitely get caught and that's what I'm counting on."

"Is another thing you're counting on the fact that you destroyed their dungeon so now they won't be able to keep us in dismal conditions?" Rogue grumbled.

"Obviously."

"And are you really just going to walk down there and surrender?"

"No way!" I laughed. "I'm going to go down there and destroy things until one of their stupid wizards with Sleep Magic is forced to stop me." I went back to watching the city once more before saying, "I think we should go down there now though. I can guarantee that Natsu is using Happy to fly here, which means we don't have much time before he catches us. So, are you all ready?"

"You know that if they catch you, there's a good chance that they'll try to kill you after knocking you out, right?" Rogue asked, placing his hand on my shoulder to catch my attention.

"While I'm in this city, they won't," I said certainly. "Their leader will want to be the one to finish me off so he can know for sure that I'm dead. Can't have me still alive somehow and ruining their plans."

He nodded and I launched myself from the branch with him, hitting the ground running and making our way towards the city. For some reason, I thought I could hear a faint roar somewhere deep in the forest, but I shook my head and figured that I had just imagined it. There wasn't any possible way that he'd caught up to us that fast. When we got close to the gates and could see the guards there clearly, we sank into the shadows and slipped past them. We moved along through alleys that were completely dark and made our way easily to the second wall of the city. I stopped everyone and looked around the corner, seeing even more guards at this gate. With a laugh, I could see a strip of shadow that would lead us through the gate and we used it to sneak past them.

From this point, there weren't as many dark alleys and the shadows were beginning to get scarce. Whenever we reached a point where we had to leave our present shadow to get to the next, we'd wait for when no one was looking and jump out of the shadows faster than a blur before diving back down into the one we needed. The last wall held all the rich people and their homes just before the castle. This was where I planned to cause some destruction as I leapt out of the shadows faster than Rogue could catch up, stomping the shadows with my foot once he jumped from it and sending ripples through it before large spikes shot up. It travelled along and destroyed everything that the shadows touched, screaming and explosions making the ground shudder. I could see flames further down into the city as everything looked to be covered in black spikes.

I heard shouting as the guards finally found us, turning to Rogue and extending my hand to him as he looked at me. "Are you ready for this, brother?"

With a grin, he grabbed my hand and said, "Of course, sister. It would be my pleasure to actually fight with you this time."

Without missing a beat, the shadows leapt from us as we combined our magic, making the darkness all around us shiver and shudder. I glanced up to see dark storm clouds forming above our heads, lightning flashing menacingly as the rain began to pour down. As the guards approached, weapons in hand, a long black tornado dropped down from the clouds and directly on top of them. The lightning crackled along the column of wind as the guards were swept up, the wind whipping around us as our cats held onto us so they wouldn't fly away. I pushed out more magic and the tornado increased in size, roaring loudly like a freight train as the wind picked up even more. Houses and mansions were swept up and thrown everywhere as I sent the tornado towards the castle.

"Stop it, Timara!" I heard Rogue yell loudly, yanking his hand from my grasp. "This is starting to go too far!"

"Not yet!" I yelled back, increasing the flow of magic as the tornado got even bigger, the roaring almost deafening. "I want them to be afraid!"

Almost like a sigh, I saw a green light envelope us all and I felt drowsy, my legs giving out and I hit the ground. I saw the tornado begin to dissipate as I was pulled further into sleep, a grin on my face before I passed out. When I came to, I was in an office and tied down to a chair with Light Magic, my arms strapped down to the arms of the chair. I looked down to see that Ty was sitting on my lap, binds around her to keep her in place there. I turned my head to see Rogue in a chair near the wall, strapped down with Light Magic as well with Frosch.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked, shaking my head a little to clear the fuzzy feeling in my mind.

"We're alright," Rogue said.

"Me too," said Ty, sounding worried.

"Just remember, no matter what happens, we are all leaving this castle alive and together," I said.

I heard the door to the office open up and footsteps approached, the leader of Black Eclipse stopping in front of me. He gave me a sickly sweet smile as he watched me and I kept a straight face. I stayed silent as we had a stare off, Ty shivering a little on my lap. Finally, the man walked over to his desk and sat down in the large chair, resting his elbows on the desk and interlacing his fingers.

"So," the man started, "I don't think we were ever properly introduced. My name is Paladin."

"Listen, I don't really care," I said as calm as could be. "You could be the strongest person in the world and I _still_ wouldn't care."

"You're a mouthy individual, aren't you," the man named Paladin grumbled. "I'm so glad that I'll be the one to kill you instead."

"I'm outspoken, not mouthy," I explained. "Some people find it amusing."

"Whatever, I'm just happy you'll be dead, now shut up!" he yelled at me. "Our plan will finally be set in motion and there will be no one left to stop us!"

"Well, since you already plan to kill me, why don't you just tell me what it is that you have in store for everyone?"

"And why should I do that?" Paladin asked.

"Because you're sadistic," I said, feeling rage beginning to boil up from within. "You want me to suffer before I die, so you're going to tell me in great detail what you have planned just to watch me squirm and wish more than anything that I could help out my friends before killing me."

"You're good," he whispered, a slight smirk on his face as he then looked at Rogue. "I think I'll let you stay. I think you'll behave well after watching your sister be tortured and then killed before your eyes yet again."

Rogue growled low in his throat, thrashing in his chair furiously to try to get free. I didn't make a sound as I waited for the leader of Black Eclipse to tell me what I wanted to know. He was playing right into my hands and he didn't even know it yet. Paladin stood up from his chair, moving over to the front of his desk and then sat down on the desktop to look at me. I still remained as quiet as I could and waited patiently. Finally, he spoke up and began to tell me what I wanted to know.

"We plan on forcing the Magic Council of Fiore out into the open where Acnologia can use his Dragon's Roar on them, completely blasting them off the face of the Earth," Paladin said. "Then, with no one to contest our power, we will take control over Etherion and eradicate anyone who opposes us! With Zeref, we can make Etherion even more powerful!" With a maniacal laugh, he gazed down at me with eyes filled with insanity. "We'll kill your friends from Fairy Tail as easily as squashing a bug!"

"Timara…?" Ty whispered, looking up at me and I could see that she was scared.

"It's going to be alright, Ty," I told her, giving her a smile. Then, looking back at Paladin, I let the smile fade as I glared at him. "You just _think_ you can defeat Fairy Tail that easily. Trust me, we're more resilient than you know."

"Which is why we'll use Etherion on your guild first thing," he said, standing up and I watched as a wooden staff seemed to appear out of nowhere. He pointed the staff at me and Ty shivered even more. "You must be wondering what kind of magic I use. I know you've been curious about it. Well, I use a form of Command Magic that specializes in fear. In other words, I can use your worst fears against you in your mind and force you to do my bidding. Or, in this case, I can take your worst fears and make them real to kill you."

He pointed the staff at me and I gasped when a dark violet glow surrounded us, a group of demonic looking men with evil grins and weapons in hand appeared. I heard Rogue yell as the attack began, stabbing at me with spears and I hunched over to protect Ty from the brunt of the blows. This was my biggest fear to be back in this same situation, but for some reason it didn't affect me like it always used to. I shuddered each time in pain as the spears pierced my skin, but I finally figured it out. Right now, I couldn't let myself be afraid. I'd promised that we'd all leave together and alive, and Ty was still reeling from meeting her parents. I had people to protect and I couldn't succumb to my fear.

I let out a growl and looked up, giving the man the scariest glare I could muster up and watching him flinch. "There's something you forgot about," I told him. "I'm not as weak and afraid as you think I am!"

Spikes of blood shot up from my wounds and cut through the binds of Light Magic, the blood sliding down my skin as I launched myself from the chair. The demonic figures that had been attacking me jumped in front of Paladin before I cut them down with a black sword conjured from my shadow. As I ran for him, he seemed to cower in fear and just before I could slice through his neck with my sword, a huge explosion rocked the castle. None of us could stay on our feet and we crashed into the ground, the chair that Rogue and Frosch were in tipping over and hitting the floor as well. I could hear a loud rending noise as the castle shuddered and a huge red crystal broke through the floor. It gave off a massive amount of heat and it instantly had me sweating, the carpet going up in flames wherever it touched the crystal. I saw Paladin get up and run around it to get to the door before I could stop him. I wanted to give chase, but I had to help Rogue first. With a frustrated snarl, I ran over to him and tipped the chair back onto its feet. Using my blood, I created a dagger and sliced through the binds before letting the blood flow again. Another huge red crystal shot out from the floor and I dragged them away from it.

The building shuddered again and the floor collapsed beneath us, the only thing stopping us from being impaled by the ruby red crystals were Ty and Frosch grabbing us and flying around the crystal. I heard a roar as another set of crystals shot up from the inside of the castle, this time it was blue black and I could feel the shadows pouring off of it. Ty flew me over to it and I placed my hand on its smooth surface, the shadows from within the crystal leaping into me. It healed me almost instantly and I felt much stronger than normal.

"Timara!" I heard the familiar voice of Natsu yelling from somewhere in the castle.

"Natsu!" I screamed back, Ty flying me downwards with Rogue and Frosch not far behind. We dived down until we reached the ground floor and that was when I saw Natsu. Once we landed, he ran over to me and hugged me, then threw me over his shoulder as he started to run back to the main door. "Wait a minute! We need to go after Black Eclipse's leader!"

"We can get him some other time, but right now the castle is going to burn down and collapse!" he told me as the cats and Rogue chased after him. The castle rumbled ominously as we escaped the castle and ran down the stairs away from it. Finally, with a huge plume of fire as the crystals shot up from the ramparts, the castle fell to the ground and shattered the crystals all at the same time. Small gem shards fell from the sky as I watched, completely mesmerized by it until Natsu set me down and growled at me. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Natsu, we needed to find out what their plan was," I explained, seeing that with every word he only got angrier. "So Rogue and I came here and discovered it, causing some damage along the way."

"That tornado was from you?" he asked in surprise, still looking livid.

"I just helped supply the magic at first," Rogue said. "The idea was hers."

Natsu grabbed me by the shoulders and made me look him in the eyes. "Don't leave me again like that," he said, his eyes even darker. "If you want to do something like this, tell me so I can come with you."

"Deal," I told him.

After that, we had our partners fly us away from the castle and back towards the forest we had camped out in. I gazed down upon the castle town and saw the black scar in the ground from the tornado. I was deeply surprised at the destruction I had caused but I just shook my head and turned my gaze back up to the direction we were heading. I let my thoughts wander back to that moment before the tornado came down. I felt stronger than ever as I had siphoned Rogue's magic and I was pretty sure that I might have been extremely close to using Dragon Force for the first time. I went back to watching our surroundings go past us and finally I could spot a large group of people below, sensing from their magic that it was our little group from Fairy Tail. We flew down to them and they seemed happy to see us.

"Good job, Natsu! You found them!" Wendy cheered, looking very happy.

"I told you not to leave that camp!" Erza yelled, stomping over to me furiously and I heard Frosch squeak in fear. "So, what did you do? You just left without saying a word! What were you thinking?!"

"I found out what their plan is," I said, "and you're not going to like it."

We all sat down in the grass in a large circle, Ty in my lap as I sat in between Zeref and Natsu. I then told everyone Black Eclipse's plan for world domination with Acnologia and how they were going to kill the Magic Council to gain access to Etherion. Then they were going to completely destroy Fairy Tail as a message to everyone else that insubordination would not be tolerated. I heard gasps of shock from Lucy, Mira, and Wendy as the rest just stared at me with their eyes wide.

"But why do they need Zeref?" I heard Laxus ask, glaring over at the wizard in question.

"They're going to use him to make it even stronger and I think it will lessen the charging time as well," I explained as I placed my head in my hands. "If only I had caught Paladin!"

"Who is this Paladin you're talking about?" Gray asked.

"He's the leader of Black Eclipse and I swear on my life that I will kill him," I growled.

"But, Timara, you once told me when we first met that you vowed never to kill again," Zeref said quietly. "Does that mean you'll go against your word to do this?"

I was speechless at his reminder, not certain how to answer him next and deciding to stick with silence. I might have to go ahead and break that vow to do this because Black Eclipse needed to be destroyed for what they'd done. I looked down at Ty and she gave me a sad smile, one that was like she wasn't fully with me right then. I knew she must have been thinking about her parents again and I hugged her as my thoughts were dragged back to the fact I had promised not to kill. I felt Natsu take my hand and hold it tightly, giving me a look that told me he'd be there for me no matter what I chose to do. With a small smile, I nodded and went back to listening in on the conversation that was being held.

"We need to get back to Fiore as fast as we possibly can," Erza said. "I wish we had someone who knew Teleportation Magic to take us straight there!"

"I think Timara and I can get us about halfway," Rogue stated. "We'll just pool our power together and pull us all down into the shadows long enough to get there. I think the country of Joya will do."

"You'll both be dead on your feet by the time we get there, if not completely dead," Sting said as he glared at Rogue. "There's a reason why you're not supposed to try to teleport using your Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic."

"Too bad, we're doing it," I said as I hopped to my feet.

I heard everyone protesting as Rogue and I stood in the center of the circle. I grabbed his hand tightly as we faced each other, the shadows erupting from us in heavy waves as they started to form a bubble around us. I heard Ty's voice over the din and telling me to be careful before I heard the scrambling of feet. I heard Natsu shout something as he ran at us, but it was too late as the shadows solidified and we pulled us all down into them. It felt like we were stuck in limbo for a long time and I could feel my magic draining from me as fast as if my throat had been slit. When I was almost completely depleted of magic power, all of us burst free into the light and we collapsed on a sandy beach near the waves. I saw Rogue collapse instantly and I was going to run over to him when I felt so woozy that I began to fall as well. Thankfully, Natsu was there and caught me before I hit the sand, passing out in his arms as Ty flew around me worriedly.

When I came to, the first thing I noticed was that the sun was incredibly bright even with my eyelids shut tightly. I groaned and opened them to slits to see where I was and noticed the bright blue waves lapping at the beach. I felt arms around my waist tighten a little more and I realized that I had my head on Natsu's shoulder, my forehead leaning lightly against his neck as he adjusted me a bit on his lap so he could stretch out his legs.

"Do you feel better now?" he asked me quietly.

"I'm just a bit tired still," I whispered. "How long was I out? Is Rogue ok?"

"He's still unconscious," Natsu explained to me. "He used up all of his Dragon Slayer Magic and you still had a bit left. He's not dead though, so I suppose that's a good sign. As for your first question, it's only been a few hours."

"Erza is letting us stay here for now?"

"Just until Rogue wakes up and can walk. Then we leave for Fiore."

Once again, we sat there silently as we watched the water, one of his hands trailing up to my back and as he rubbed it absentmindedly. I was as relaxed as I possibly could as I debated on drifting back to sleep. It wasn't until I felt a question that bothered me enough that I felt the need to ask it.

"Hey, Natsu?" I asked at first.

"Hmm?" was the only response I got.

"You went to Edolas, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I was just curious about what you and I were like there," I said, waiting for an explanation.

"Ugh, don't even get me started on my Edolas counterpart," he grumbled. "His name there was Natsu Dragion and he had this Magic Four-Wheeler. I hated that thing so much and he just loved it. The thing is he was a jerk and extremely arrogant whenever he drove it, but the moment you threw him outside of it he turned into a big crybaby. Regardless of how much of a jerk he was then, I just couldn't punch the guy when he started crying."

"So what about the Edolas version of me?" I asked curiously.

"Personally, I don't really know," he said quietly. "I only saw her twice, but even then I wasn't sure. Since Edolas Fairy Tail was a Dark Guild, you were like their white knight. She was Timara Shadowdancer and she was like a ninja. I guess she would go and fight Erza Knightwalker just for the hell of it, even going to far as to style her hair like Edolas Erza to make her mad. The first time I saw her was after I threatened to beat up Edolas me. She was standing there in the distance, wearing this strange skintight black outfit with weird looking braces along the arms and legs of it. She even had a sword strapped to her back and she had a mean glare. That was another reason I didn't hit him. She disappeared really fast after that and the next time I saw her was before we all came back here to Earth Land. She was standing beside Edolas me and they were holding hands."

"Cool, I was a ninja," I laughed, smiling a little at the thought. All this made me wish that I had gone with them all just to see my Edolas counterpart.

We stayed like this for a long time, just watching the water until I heard Rogue stir. I gasped and tried to run to him but Natsu held onto me, saying something about how I needed to rest for now. I called to Rogue since I couldn't see him and he yelled back that he was alright. I sighed and went back to lying against Natsu, looking up to see the clouds gathering. These didn't make me feel like the Dragon was chasing us and I chalked it up to a natural occurrence. The rain began to lightly fall from them and it was warm against my skin, after a while my hair was plastered to my head as the rain picked up. I happened to look up to see that everyone had already moved under the trees and Ty was laughing at me with Happy and Frosch standing beside her.

Finally, I got tired of getting wet from the rain and I leapt from Natsu's grasp, running along towards the trees when Natsu grabbed me again with a laugh. Next thing I knew, he was carrying me towards the water and threw me in. I shrieked when I hit the water with a splash, getting up and chasing after him when he ran with a chuckle. I jumped and tackled him down as we hit the water again, giggling when I came up for air and splashed him.

"You're such a jerk," I told him with a grin.

He splashed me back and said, "Yeah, but I'm your jerk, so you're just going to have to deal with it. Come on, let's get out of the water."

Finally, we headed back to the trees where Erza was discussing a plan with everyone about what our next move would be. Half of the group was torn between wanting to wait for Rogue and I to get our magic power back so that we could pull us into the shadows and out into Fiore while the other half wanted to just leave now because they figured it would take too long to wait. We needed to get back to our home country as fast as possible because we knew Black Eclipse would strike at any moment. Natsu was the biggest contender against letting us use our magic like that again.

"They're going to end up killing themselves this way," he said. "That and if we want to be able to use them during the fight, we can't just let them burn themselves out."

"Of course!" Erza said, clapping a hand to her forehead. "The prime minister of Joya has a whole arsenal of wizards under his command! Maybe one of them is skilled at using Teleportation Magic!" She got up and ran in the direction of the capital city, which loomed up from the stand of trees we were sitting in. I wanted to get up and give chase since I was curious to see all those wizards she mentioned, but Natsu pulled me back down to sit on the grass.

I looked out at the rain pouring heavily and saw as Ty came over to me, looking a bit troubled over something. She kicked at the sand around her, little plumes of it being carried around as she looked down at her feet. "There's something I want to ask, Mara," she said, not looking at me at all.

"What is it, Ty?" I asked her, giving her my undivided attention.

She didn't say anything for the longest time, just kept kicking at the sand or scrunching her toes between the grains. Finally, she spoke and sounded sad. "Do you think I did the right thing with my parents?"

"I think what you said opened their eyes and it took a lot of courage to stand up to someone who was supposed to be there for you."

"Do you think that if they ever came to visit me that I should even talk to them again?"

"Well, Ty, that's up to you," I told her. "I'm not the one who can make that decision for you. Whatever you choose, I will support you in it. If you want to let them become a part of your life, then so be it. If not, then that's ok, too. Either way, just know that I'll back you up no matter what."

"Thank you, Mara," she said with a feeble smile. She walked closer and hugged me the best she could, so I picked her up and hugged her back. She tapped my shoulder hard when she felt like she couldn't breathe since I hugged her too tight and then laughed when I set her down on my lap.

An hour had passed and we were all bored, so I was racing a shadow rabbit against Wendy's sky rabbit. We would make them race down to the waves and then back to us, but I won every time and she insisted that I was somehow cheating. I could only laugh as she looked frustrated with me, but we carried on racing until I heard footsteps. I stood up quickly, ready to attack the intruder when I caught sight of the familiar scarlet hair. Thankfully, it was Erza with a light-haired wizard, one whose robes were white and very long.

"I am happy to announce that we have our wizard who knows Teleportation Magic!" Erza stated as she came up to our group. "He can get us to the border of Fiore since that's as far as he's been before and I say that's close enough for us!"

With a happy cry, Wendy got to her feet as we all followed suit. The wizard said for us to all hold hands for the Magic wouldn't work unless we do as he said. I held hands with Natsu and Zeref as Ty sat on my shoulder, a strange buzzing noise could be heard slowly increasing in volume before there were a bunch of bright lights surrounding us and then it all went dark. I felt as if electricity was now travelling through our joined hands in the darkness until suddenly everything came back into view. I looked around and saw the familiar forest at the border and a large snow capped mountain that meant we were finally back to Fiore. We thanked the wizard as we separated, watching him disappear again as we headed towards the place that would soon be site of a bloody war.


	16. Homecoming

**Hiya, everyone! It took a bit longer than I expected to write this, but I think it's up to par now. This chapter is a bit on the lazy side compared to others, but there are still some amusing bits littered about in here. I think you'll all like it. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 16: Homecoming**

Much to Natsu's irritation, it was decided by Erza, Laxus, and Mira that I would be the scout again in case the Black Eclipse members here were looking for us. I had almost all of my magic back and was one of the best at staying hidden. I would be scouting the area ahead of the group while Rogue would be checking the area behind us in case they planned a sneak attack like cowards. Fortunately for him, Erza agreed that it would be a bad idea to let me go off alone and decided that Natsu could go with me, suspecting that he would only escape from the group when no one was looking to follow me. I was infuriated by this turn of events but only because he would be keeping me out of trouble instead of helping me watch our surroundings.

With Natsu around, he refused to let me jump through the tree branches since that wasn't something he could do as fast as me. He said that he wouldn't be able to protect me as well and so made me stay on the ground. By this point, I was irritated and grouchy, snapping at Natsu or Happy the first moment either of them spoke. Tyger found it to be the most amusing thing ever, sitting on my shoulder and giggling quietly to herself the entire time. After about a half hour of having to put up with this, I could tell that Natsu was about to snap at me until we reached the outskirts of a meadow with a village at its center and everyone fell silent.

"I think I should go down there alone and take a look at things," I said.

"No, I come with you or you don't go at all," Natsu growled, glaring furiously at me.

"Really? Don't you think you're being just a little unreasonable?" I asked, glaring back at him in exasperation. "I will be back in ten minutes and Ty will be with me. If I'm not back by then, you can follow after me."

Without giving him the chance to protest again, I took off as fast as I could down to the village, diving into the shadows and moving into an alley to check things out. I saw that the villagers were moving around about their day, seeming happy-go-lucky and not at all in duress. I thanked our lucky stars that this village was a normal one, but I thought it best that we avoid it and head for the nearest town with a train station. Just like I had told him, I was back in less than ten minutes so he wouldn't worry.

"So, what's the verdict?" Natsu asked as I hopped out of the shadows to stand before him.

"It's clean," I said. "Black Eclipse isn't there and it seems like a normal village. It's a relief to know that nothing bad befell them, but I think it's a good idea to carry on and avoid it."

"But why avoid it if there's nothing wrong with it?" Happy asked curiously.

"I don't want to risk us staying and then having Black Eclipse finding us there," I told him. "It seems wrong to burden them with our problems like that."

It was decided that we would head back to our group and tell them about our findings. I knew that people were going to protest having to stay outside to sleep again, but this was for the best. We needed to be on our way to the nearest train station and this way we could be a bit closer to our destination. It was when I heard a twig somewhere to our right that I froze, grabbing Natsu and making him stop as I listened closely. There was another snap and I silently moved around a tree to see a group of Black Eclipse members sneaking their way along to our group of friends. I placed my finger to my lips to sign that we needed to be silent and we snuck along until we were directly behind them. Then, without giving them any warning, we struck and I blasted them with a large shadowy wave that knocked them all off their feet. Natsu launched himself at them as they scrambled up, using Fire Dragon's Iron Fist to take them all down except for one. As the man blubbered to let him live, Natsu grabbed by the throat and lifted him into the air, not squeezing the air from him but just holding him there.

"Now, you're going to tell us how you found us so fast," Natsu growled at him.

"I don't know!" the man yelled, starting to cry from fear.

"That's a lie!" I snarled, walking closer to him and making him try to twist free from Natsu's grasp. "We already know that you have orders to kill me! Just tell us how you knew where we were when we just got here!"

"I can't! Another report went out this morning! If we tell the enemy anything more about what we do, it will be an act of treason and we'll be sent to our death!"

I watched him, staring him in the eyes and making him squirm uncomfortably in the awkward silence. Finally, I said, "Natsu, let's bring him to Erza. She'll torture it out of him and we'll find out the information we need."

The man instantly paled as Natsu dropped him to the ground. I used my magic to create a dark rope that twisted his arms behind his back and his wrists together. He made a whimper once and then stayed silent as we led him along to where we could sense the group. It was awfully lucky that they weren't far away from our current position and we caught sight of them within five minutes. I saw Erza walk over to us as she saw that we had an unwelcome guess trailing along behind us from the tether I had strapped to the ropes around his wrists.

"Who is this man?" she asked us as we finally stopped in front of her.

"We caught him and his buddies trying to ambush you," I explained. "We were wondering if you could get the answers we need out of him since he doesn't want to talk. I guess Black Eclipse has a new rule about squealers."

"Understood. Bring him along and I'll go get Gajeel. I'm sure he'd love to scare him as well."

Erza walked off as we followed behind her, the man behind us pulling as hard as he could to try to get away. I could hear his low whimpers of fear as I yanked on the lead, making him stumble and almost fall if he hadn't gotten his balance. Erza stopped in front of Gajeel and whispered something in his ear, Gajeel then began to laugh maniacally as his gaze turned to our captive.

"Yeah, I'll help you out," he said, a menacing grin slowly appearing on his face. "I always loved torturing people."

The man from Black Eclipse began to cry heavily and I could only wonder how in the world this Dark Guild found their members. If they couldn't hold up to secrecy or even in battle, then they obviously were useless. That Paladin must like numbers over strength because that was the only explanation for this excuse for a man. We went over to a tree with a bit of a low hanging branch and I threw the lead up and over it. I pulled on it a bit and made his arms lift up from behind him, making him yelp when his shoulders protested painfully. I handed the rope to Gajeel, who grinned like a kid in a candy store as Erza walked up to our prisoner.

"Listen, we don't want to have to hurt you, but we need some answers," Erza explained to the crying man. "As soon as you tell us what we want to know, I give you my word that we will let you go. We are not cruel barbarians like your Dark Guild." The man stopped crying as he considered her words, staying silent for a long time. After a while, he nodded in acknowledgement and agreed to tell us what he knew. "How did you find us so fast?"

"I don't know which one of you has it, but there's a card that our Card Magic users are tracking," the man said. "We know exactly when you tread upon our territory and obviously the orders are to kill the female Shadow Dragon Slayer. There were different orders for her as well. Try to capture her alive, if not then kill her."

Erza turned to me and said, "Seems like they really think that you are capable of ruining their plans."

"Yes, but not without help," I said. "I wasn't able to take on Acnologia by myself and defeat him. If anything, you would think that he'd want to kill everyone in this group because we're all a threat."

"Didn't the other guy from Black Eclipse say that they're afraid you're actually quite stronger than even you know?" Natsu asked me.

"I guess that it's possible," I stated, looking down at the grass as I mulled it over. "Everyone has power that they don't know of until the day comes that they need to use it."

"I think they must guess that you haven't used Dragon Force yet and they're afraid of when you do manage to use it. Your power will double, if not triple or quadruple, in strength and you'd be able to do whatever you want."

"That's right," the man said and I looked up at him. I definitely wasn't expecting to see compassion swimming in his eyes. "They think that you can do impossible things since you're already very strong. In fact, they think that you could possibly stop Etherion's blast if you use Dragon Force."

I heard Erza gasp as I stared up at the man. "No one can do that!" Erza said. "Etherion is known for having the power to destroy nations! Anyone caught in the blast radius would be killed!"

"A regular Etherion blast, maybe," the man told her. "I had been a part of working on Etherion and even maintenance back before I was forced into working for Black Eclipse. They threatened to kill my family unless I joined… Anyway, they plan on using The Black Wizard, Zeref, to use his Death Magic and infuse it with Etherion so that it can be fully powered up then fired instantly without the hour wait period. I guess they heard that she can withstand Death Magic and that there might be a chance that Etherion can be stopped by her."

I felt almost numb as I heard him speak, the only thing I could feel was Natsu's hand on my back between my shoulder blades. There was no way I could do that and it just seemed impossible as I slid my fingers through my hair, pulling slightly on the silky strands absentmindedly. I saw Natsu walk in front of me and pull my arm back down to my side as he leaned forward to kiss my forehead comfortingly. He gave me a smile and mussed my short hair, then moved away from me so I couldn't hit him for it.

"It'll be ok, Timara," he said, looking carefree and lightening my mood a bit. "There's no need to worry about what will happen in the future. I'll always be by your side no matter what, so things will turn out all right."

I felt better with his words, but I still wasn't sure about the future to come. Would all this really happen? If I can somehow use Dragon Force, will I even be able to stop Etherion's blast wave from destroying everything I care about? I didn't know if would be possible, but Natsu was right. There was no point in worrying about something I couldn't control yet and I would just accept it when the time came.

After that, I snapped my fingers and let the ropes disintegrate, allowing the man to finally be able to move his arms freely as he rubbed at them to get the feeling back in them. "Alright, here's what you're going to do," I said to him. "You're going to go back to your family, pack up the necessary things, and go into hiding until we wipe out Black Eclipse. You better not let them catch you or your life and the lives of your family will be lost to them."

As an act of good faith, the man told us everything he knew about Etherion and how they activated it. He even explained where to find it and hoped that Black Eclipse didn't take out the Magic Council because there would be a chance that all would be lost if they were killed. He then took off to the north and disappeared from sight. We decided that it was time to head south since the nearest train station was in Clover Town. But first, we needed to find out where the tracking card was hiding.

"Everyone, empty your pockets!" I yelled as we walked back to the group.

Everyone turned to face me and looked incredibly puzzled, but did as I asked. What surprised me the most was that the card holder was in fact Gray, who seemed incredibly confused as to how it got there. I thought it might have been one of the Dragon Slayers that had been captured, but this was an interesting turn of events. Before I could even blink, an all-out brawl started as Natsu tackled Gray to the ground, punching him hard in the jaw before attempting to take the card from his hand. Insults began to fly between the two as they hit each other and I could only sigh as I watched.

"This is just insanity," I said to myself before rushing behind Natsu, grabbing him by the collar, and forcibly pulling him away from Gray. "You just fought a bunch of wizards from Black Eclipse and now you're going to brawl with the Pervy Popsicle?"

"Watch it, Shadow Queen!" Gray said, glaring at me before slinging the card to me. "Flame Breath is just angry for no reason, so maybe one of these days you should just hook up with him and he'd calm down!"

I felt my cheeks heat up and the only thing that stopped me from punching him myself was Natsu wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me tightly against his side. "Hey, if I'm not allowed to fight the stripper, then neither are you!"

"I'm not a stripper, Natsu!" Gray yelled at him, taking a step towards him threateningly.

"Oh, really? So why is it that you're half naked right now and about to be fully naked soon?" I asked him, a smug smile on my face at my words. This made Gray look down to see his shirt off and that he was idly trying to undo his pants, making a surprised noise as he stopped. I saw him flush a little in embarrassment before going back to get his shirt, crossly stomping the ground the entire way.

"Way to go, Timara, you sure showed him!" Natsu told me with a grin.

"That I did," I laughed, watching as Gray glared at us. "Anyway, there's something I've been meaning to ask you, but I keep forgetting."

"What is it?"

"Do you want your scarf back?" I asked him, pulling on it to loosen it. "I mean, Igneel gave it to you so it means a lot to you and now that you're back, it should rightfully return to its rightful owner."

"I like the thought of you always having something that belongs to me, that way it's like you're never alone," he said seriously before smiling again. "But I suppose I do miss having it and you also have that tattoo on your neck to prove that you belong to me, so if you're tired of wearing it I'll be happy to take it from you."

Gently, he pulled the scarf from my neck and then looked at it as if he had just been reunited with an old friend. I saw his eyes shine as he wrapped the scarf back around his neck and tied it in place, looking overjoyed at having it back. I shook my head as I smiled at him, feeling ecstatic for him as I placed my hand on my neck. It now felt weird to let it go after so long and I surprisingly felt chilly without it. I moved closer to him and let him wrap his arms around me, letting his warmth seep to my bones as we stayed like that. I handed Natsu the card and he burned it instantly as his fist went up in flames.

"Now we don't have to worry about them tracking us anymore," he said as he let the ashes fall to the ground and the flames he held died out.

"Good because I was getting tired of having them try to ambush us all the time," I told him.

After everyone had settled down and Rogue came back from scouting the areas behind the group, we all walked to the south to head to Clover Town. Unfortunately for us, it would take about two days to walk there, a day and a half if we hurried. It was about an hour of walking when we spotted the river that led to the lake nearby Clover Town. We thought it best to stay within sight of the river for now so we wouldn't get lost and I watched the water rush past us.

"Why don't we take a ferry to the lake if one passes by?" Gray asked. "It would take us less time to get there and we could be on the next train faster."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Erza said. "We'll have a bunch of Dragon Slayers getting motion sickness and hurling over the side of the boat."

"Ok, so what if Timara and Rogue use their magic again and transport us there?"

"Not happening," Natsu piped up. "She's not doing that again right now. We can walk the rest of the way."

I sighed and carried on walking, just shaking my head as I went. It was endearing that he cared so much, but it was sometimes a pain when he was so overprotective. I walked to the head of the group when I heard Loke speak up. "You know you're frustrating her by not letting her be helpful, right? It's a much shorter distance to Clover Town than when they had to use their magic earlier. They probably won't even pass out this time from it."

"We can do it, Natsu," I heard Rogue say and I turned my head to look back as everyone stopped. Rogue had his hand on Natsu's shoulder and Natsu was glaring intensely at him as if trying to get the point across that he needed to let go without using words. "We can get everyone to Clover Town and be alright, I swear to that."

I felt Ty shift uncomfortably on my shoulder as Natsu's gaze turned to me. His eyes were blazing ferociously like a dark fire as we stayed silent, a minute passing by slowly before he finally spoke. "If you do this, do you promise not to go too far? I don't want you to exhaust yourself."

"I will be fine," I told him. "This is child's play compared to what we did earlier. Not only that, but we'll get there faster and time is something that we are incredibly short of right now."

In the end, Natsu tentatively nodded and Rogue let him go to walk over to me. With a wan smile, he extended his hand to me and I took it quickly, the shadows leaping from us and forming a dome around us. It slowly solidified and we dragged everyone with us down into the shadows. I felt my magic drain from me, but not at such dizzying speeds like last time and before long we were all launched from the shadows and into the lake itself. Kicking hard, I broke from the surface of the water and gasped for air, coughing to get the water from my lungs that I had accidentally inhaled after the sudden impact. I scooped up Ty before she could sink down and set her on my shoulders as I swam to shore.

"Dammit, Rogue and Timara!" I heard an outraged Gajeel roar before sinking quickly below the water. I saw Sting and Rogue treading the water with an exasperated look as they grabbed him and pulled him back above the tranquil waves. The Iron Dragon Slayer spluttered a bit before attempting to choke my brother. "Iron Dragon's don't swim, you idiots!" he roared again before Sting pulled him away from Rogue.

"It was an accident, Gajeel, so chill out!" I yelled back at him as I was forcibly yanked out of the water by Natsu, who had already pulled himself out of the water and was standing at the edge of the lake. "Erza isn't complaining and she's wearing iron armor!"

"Actually, I was able to Requip into a bikini before I even hit the water," she said as she pulled herself up onto the grass. Just as she said, she was wearing a skimpy black bikini and her hair was tied into ponytail, turning around to pull Wendy, Carla, and Mira from the waves.

"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel bellowed, a huge steel club extending from his arm and being launched in my direction.

I pushed Natsu out of the way and sidestepped away gracefully, then I knocked the club down into the earth with a well-timed jump as I slammed my foot into it. The Iron Dragon Slayer looked outraged as I stood there on the club, giving him an amused smirk before using Shadow Dragon's Roar. He looked dazed after the direct hit, sinking below the water again as the club retracted. I landed on my feet effortlessly and then walked over to the edge of the water to haul Zeref up to the grass when he began to flounder a bit. The poor man acted like a kicked puppy, practically scurrying away just to go lay in the sun to dry off.

As Sting grabbed Gajeel again to lift him above the water's surface, a look of annoyance crossing his face, Laxus muttered, "No more fighting or I'll use my Lightning Magic on the lake."

There was an instantaneous argument as the others who were still in the water yelled about how they'd be electrocuted as well, even though they didn't do anything. There was a lot of fighting now, even a few insults thrown around and I could see that Laxus was about to make good on his threat when Gray had the marvelous idea to freeze the lake. I groaned in frustration since now they were all stuck there, Gray refusing to help any of them as he used his magic to get free. I had to stop Natsu from trying to help since he was sure to go a bit overboard and fry them all, so I slid out on the ice and carved a hole around them with a shadow sword to pull them out of the water. They cracked the ice still attached to them and then slid back to shore as I kept going, leaving Gajeel for last. He glared at me, unable to move his arms since they were frozen to his sides and I laughed.

"Are you going to be nice if I get you out of there?" I asked him with a smirk.

"Sure, whatever, now get me out of here!" he snarled.

Giggling to myself a little, I hastily sawed through the ice and then pulled him up. After waiting for him to get his balance on the ice, he cracked the piece that was still around him and then we slowly walked back to shore. He almost fell through a few times but we still made it and jumped up onto the grass. He still glared at me, but went off by himself at the edge of the group as Pantherlily ran behind him.

After we had all dried off, Natsu and I faster than the others because being so close to a Fire Dragon Slayer tended to do that, we all walked beside the lake in the direction of Clover Town, which could be seen from a mile away. The sun was beginning to set and we doubted that we would be able to get to the train station by the last call, so we decided to stay at an inn for the night until morning. We managed to book a few rooms before the inn closed for the night and we had dinner before going to our rooms for sleep.

For some reason, sleep refused to come to me and I laid there restlessly with my head on Natsu's chest, his arms around my waist to keep me as close to him as possible. I looked down to see Ty and Happy asleep at our feet, looking peaceful as they rested. Even though I was comfortable, I felt the need to go get fresh air and so I carefully moved from his arms to crawl out of bed. I walked over to the window, opening it as quietly as I possibly could and then sneaking out onto the window sill. I jumped up onto the roof, scrambling up the tiles until I sat on the highest point to gaze up at the stars. I watched them burning brightly and yearned for them to somehow give me the answers I craved. I was inwardly screaming for them to just give me a sign, something I could use to help me when my uncertain future came to be. Almost as if my inner turmoil could be heard, I saw a falling star and made a wish that I would have the strength to protect the people I cared about.

"Wow, a shooting star!" I heard the familiar voice of my mate say as his head appeared within sight and he tried to crawl up to the roof after me. "And my speedy wish came true! I found you!"

"I wasn't exactly hiding, Natsu!" I laughed as I grabbed him by the arm to hoist him the rest of the way up to the roof.

"No, but you disappeared and I couldn't find you until I heard movement on the roof. I swear, one of these days I'm going to tie a bell around your neck so I can hear when you sneak off," he told me with an amused grin, sitting down beside me on the tiles to look up at the stars. "What are you doing up here anyway?"

"Same thing you're doing right now," I said, smiling as I leaned over to bump my shoulder against his. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders to keep me there and I laid my head on him, looking up at the stars with him. "I was hoping that maybe I'll find a way to plan for what will happen later. I don't feel like I'm ready for it yet."

"I think you are," he said, leaning his head against mine gently as his fingers trailed up and down my bare shoulder. "You're strong and I believe that when the time comes you'll be capable of doing anything you set your mind to. Just have faith in yourself."

"You really think I can do this?" I whispered.

"That's right! Not only that, but I'll be with you and you won't be alone when it happens! So stop worrying so much! You're going to make yourself sick if you keep this up!"

The unrequited faith he had in me was enough to send jolts of joy through me and my mood instantly lightened. I turned slightly and hugged him tightly, burying my face in his shoulder to hide the smile playing along my lips. After watching the stars for a few minutes more, we got up and headed back down into our window, getting back into bed without waking Ty or Happy. I snuggled against Natsu before I fell asleep instantly, the worries plaguing me earlier were now deep in the back of my mind where I couldn't touch them.

The next morning just before dawn, we had an early breakfast and headed for the train station to take the first train out of Clover Town. I literally had to drag Natsu onto the train, who looked like he was starting to get motion sickness already by just looking at it. Erza talked to the conductor and engineer of the train to let them know that we'd need the last car to ourselves since we had a lot of wizards that would get sick at the drop of a hat once the train started and they instantly obliged with her request, saying that the passengers would be notified at the stops to avoid the last car. When I finally had him inside the train car, with the help of Ty and Happy, I looked out to see Rogue, Sting, and Gajeel glaring up at the train and refusing to move.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me…" I mumbled to myself.

Telling Ty and Happy to keep Natsu on the train, I stomped grumpily over to the door, tossed three shadow ropes around the three Dragon Slayers refusing to board the train, and then dragged them kicking and screaming into the train car. When they reached the door, they all banded together to jam themselves against the doorframe in an attempt to be stubborn and stay off the train. I heard Laxus yell outside as he began to shove at them, helping me out when they were literally stuck there. When Laxus threatened to blast them all with Lightning Magic, they let go and cooperated, which still caused us all to hit the floor as Laxus stormed into the train. Finally, when we had all settled down in our respective seats, Natsu sitting beside me with his head on my lap as he groaned sickly and with Ty in the windowsill, the train began to move and we were off in the direction of Magnolia.


	17. The Calm Before the Storm

**Hey, everyone! Thank you to everyone who has stuck around to read my story since the beginning! Now, I promise that I will keep this one short and sweet since I am exhausted from a long day. Just as the title of the chapter says, we have a bit of a lull in action before the storm explodes over their heads and the fighting begins. It might not be action packed right now, but it will be coming soon. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Calm Before the Storm**

"Timara, make it stop," a sickly Natsu groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes as he sprawled out on the seat. He was using my lap as a pillow as I leaned against the backboard of the seat itself, my stomach churning painfully and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.

"What do you want me to do?" I grumbled, trying to force the motion sickness away with sheer force of will. "It's not like I can just walk up to the engine and tell them to stop the train. I'm pretty sure I'm too sick to move as well."

"Where's Wendy when we need her?" I heard him say.

"No Troia, Natsu," I told him sternly. "We can survive this long enough to get to Magnolia."

It had only been an hour after we left the Clover Station and every Dragon Slayer except for Wendy could be heard making sickly noises. Somewhere, I heard Gray mutter something to Lucy about Dragon Slayers secretly being useless if they couldn't stand transportation like this, Natsu growling weakly as he tried to get up to go after Gray but I pushed him back down where he stayed without protesting. He was sick and yet he somehow had the energy to want to fight. I just shook my head a little and looked out the window at the passing scenery for a few seconds before it made me feel even worse.

After what seemed like a forever, there was a moment where I heard the door open and it broke up the monotony of dealing with my stomach. I heard Natsu groan then say, "Oh, good, it's you, Zeref. Now you can put us out of our misery."

I turned my head to look at the dark haired man, who looked genuinely concerned about Natsu's words when he soon realized that it was a joke. He gave a small laugh and then sat down in the seat opposite of us with Ty. "Don't say things like that," Zeref said. "You had me worried for a bit. Timara, you're sick, too?"

"My body hates trains apparently," I said as I covered my eyes with my hands. "I used to love roller coasters, but now I'm not so optimistic about that if this is how my body reacts."

"Ugh, don't discuss roller coasters right now, that's only going to make me feel worse," Natsu complained with grimace as he rolled over so that his face was pressed against my stomach, wrapping his arms around my waist and curling his legs up to his chest as he tried to make himself smaller. When I said his name and was about to tell him that he better not throw up on me, he said, "Yeah, I know. I won't do it. If I need to, I'll roll over and throw up on the floor."

"If you throw up on me, I'll be sure to kill you myself," Zeref said with an amused grin on his face.

"You will not be killing my mate," I sighed as I hunched over a bit.

"No offense, Timara, but you wouldn't be able to stop me very well in your condition," The Black Wizard said to me. "However, I won't kill him for I was only joking with you both."

After about another hour of hell, I could feel the train slowing and I sighed in relief as it finally stopped altogether. I looked out the window and saw a sign that said Oshibana Station. I closed my eyes again and tried for sleep now so I could circumvent the motion sickness right off the bat. I felt Natsu stretch out on the seat and look around a bit before turning back.

"Hey, where's Happy?" he asked me, gently nudging my stomach with his head.

When all I did was shrug, Zeref spoke up and said, "Oh, I know the answer to that. I saw him down the hallway with Lucy, Wendy, and Carla."

"Did you see how the others are holding up?" I asked him.

"I think it's safe to say that they're better than you two are," he said apologetically. "I'm not quite sure why or how that is, but it's the truth."

"Don't even bother with trying to find out why it is what it is," Natsu grumbled as the train began to start up again. "We've given up on that sort of thing and just accepted it."

I hissed a little when my stomach began to protest the movement of the train and I debated on lying down beside Natsu if it weren't for the fact that Zeref was with us. I started thinking to myself that I was going to come up with my own version of Troia one of these days when I had this sinking feeling that was slowly making its presence known. I didn't think anything of it for a while, assuming that it was just a random coincidence of being motion sick. After almost an hour of suffering through the train bouncing along on the tracks, the sinking feeling got much worse and I heard a noise that almost sounded like a scream in one of the train cars in front of ours. I froze, pushing the sick feeling in my stomach down a bit as I concentrated on listening to our surroundings. I heard the door leading to our train car open and close, my suspicions being confirmed that something was wrong when I heard a large amount of footsteps approaching down the hall.

Natsu looked up at me and noticed my serious expression, looking as if he might say something when I placed one of my hands over his mouth and hissed in his ear, "Not a word. Stay as quiet as possible." When I lifted my head up, I saw Zeref and Ty watching me, looking alert as if they had heard my words as well.

I used the shadows to form a barrier at the door of our little room, causing the door to be jammed shut and a curtain of darkness to block out the window so no one could look in. I could hear noises of surprise from our friends that were cut off short and snoring could be heard soon after, so I knew Black Eclipse had found us once more. I knew that they couldn't have tracked us down this time, so the only reasonable explanation is that they caught a lucky break. Just when things had been going our way, they found us in the one place that we were weak. I felt Natsu breathing lightly to stay quiet as I kept a hand on his chest while waiting for them to figure out which part of the train car we were in. I watched as the doorknob turned, only for them to discover that it was locked. After a while, they moved on to the next door and I breathed out a soft sigh, leaning over to press my forehead against Natsu's.

"Will you be able to fight if it comes to that?" I whispered to him as low as possible.

"I can try, but I might be too sick," he whispered back faintly. I could tell from the cold sweat covering his skin that he wasn't doing too well thanks to the motion sickness, but at least he was alert to what was going on around him. "What about you? Are you going to be able to fight?"

"One of us needs to," I told him, then covered his mouth again when the footsteps came back to our door.

The door handle jiggled even harder than last time and I knew that they eliminated the other choices of doors we could be behind. I saw the door shake heavily and frustrated yells could be heard on the other side, so I figured that the door would hold up until I saw the word OPEN appear in glowing large glowing letters on the door itself and it slammed open to reveal a mob of Black Eclipse waiting on the other side. They sneered as they caught sight of the shadowy barrier still left in place and a large blast of Light Magic obliterated it entirely, making me hunch over and cry out as the Light Magic blinded me. Natsu glared at them as fiercely as he could while in his condition and I bared my fangs at them once my sight came back, my stomach turning when the train shuddered.

"Well, well, look at the sorry state they're in," one man in front of the door said. "I never would have guessed that Dragon Slayers were secretly weaklings and could be put out of commission this way."

"Say that again, I dare you," I growled at him as Ty hissed, looking like she might shift into her tiger form. "I might be really sick right now, but I can still take you."

"I think we should knock them out right now," another man said. "All we need to do is retrieve Zeref."

"But you forgot the other order to bring in the female Shadow Dragon Slayer alive if possible or kill her if she puts up too much of a fight," a third man said.

"Let's knock them out and _then_ kill her!" a fourth man said, bursting through the doorway with an evil grin.

Before I could attack him myself, I saw a fireball get launched at the man faster than he could dodge it and Natsu growled, holding onto me protectively as the man screamed in pain from the flames burning him and ran away. "Stay away from her. I'll kill the next person who tries to harm her."

"Just knock them out," the first man said calmly. "We'll have our hands full just with Zeref and judging from the glare we're getting, he'll fight even harder if we try to kill the girl."

There was a flash of green light and I was instantly passing out, leaning to the side to fall over onto the seat as my eyes closed heavily. By the time I finally came to, I could feel the train slowly rolling to a stop and I blearily sat up on my stomach to see a sign that said Onibus Station. With a huff, I slumped back down on the seat. We're almost home, I thought to myself. I looked over at the seat opposite us and with a gasp I remembered that Black Eclipse had taken Zeref. I knew that they couldn't possibly be on the train with us anymore and must have gotten off at the last train station. I knew for a fact that we were seriously running out of time now that they had the power source they were looking for this whole time. I slammed my fist down onto the seat and let out a growl, feeling extremely frustrated that they got the drop on us so easily to take Zeref. I heard a grumbling noise as I was pushed back down to have my back used as a pillow this time, turning my head a bit to see Natsu's spiky pink hair as he lay his head between my shoulder blades. I was now pinned beneath him as he moved in his sleep to lay on me entirely, snoring lightly and finally drifting back to a deeper sleep.

I heard the door open and Ty jumped over to sit beside my head as we both looked over to see Rogue and Sting wobble in with their partners, looking a little better now that the trained had stopped moving. They closed the door behind them and gave me a questioning look as they caught sight of the situation I was in.

"Don't ask," I sighed, shaking my head about it as they sat down opposite of me.

"Wasn't going to," Rogue said. "Although I can guess and it looks like he's even trying to protect you in his sleep. We just woke up from the Sleep Magic ourselves."

"I'm a little jealous of him though," Sting mumbled. "He gets the pretty girl _and_ gets to sleep through the motion sickness we'll have to endure soon."

As if on cue, the train lurched and began to move, all of us groaning sickly as our stomachs protested. "Do you want us to help you move him?" Rogue asked, leaning back against the seat and closing his eyes.

"No, just leave him be," I told him as I tried to get in a comfortable position that my stomach approved of. "Let him sleep through it as long as he can. Besides, neither of you look well enough to do it."

"She's got a point, Rogue," Sting told him. "I'm not moving from this spot until the train stops again."

"Men are such babies," I muttered under my breath, making Tyger snicker quietly as everyone else glared at me.

Thankfully for us, the last two hours or so to get to Magnolia Station didn't take as long as we thought. It was late afternoon when I felt the train slowing down and Natsu woke up, sitting upright and pulling me with him so I sat on his lap facing him. He buried his face in my neck and I blushed profusely, jumping a little when he nipped at the tattoo between my neck and shoulder.

"You know we're not alone at this moment, right?" I asked him, avoiding eye contact when he looked up.

"I know and I don't really care," he said with a lazy grin. "They'll understand when they have mates of their own."

I could hear both Dragon Slayers behind me grumbling cynically about what Natsu said and I couldn't help but laugh quietly, Natsu enfolding me in his arms until I heard and felt the train stop moving entirely. Rogue and Sting bolted from the train the moment it came to a stop and I heard Ty giggle as their cats had to give chase to catch up with them. My Fire Dragon Slayer gave a snicker as he stood up and grasped my legs to keep me in place to carry me out of the train, but I squirmed until he finally let me go so I could walk on my own. Instead as compromise, I took his hand and slid my fingers between his as we walked out of the train, Ty sitting on my shoulder and Happy meeting up with Natsu once we were outside.

We walked out of the station to see that everyone else was looking over in the horizon at something. With an exuberant laugh, I realized that the First Fairy Tail Building was back now after all those years that we had been gone. It was indeed a sight for sore eyes and we all walked at a fast clip to get to the place we loved, the Dragon Slayers from Sabertooth lagging behind at the end of the line. When the courtyard came into sight, we all ran full tilt to the large doors that had been thrown open before we arrived, barging into the guildhall where we were greeted with shocked stares and silence. Then there was a cacophonous roar of excitement as everyone cheered, looking thrilled to see us all back. I happened to look backwards and saw my brother and Sting waiting out in the courtyard, seeming to stand there awkwardly as they watched our antics.

"Welcome back, everyone!" I heard Makarov yell over the cheering, walking over to us before the mob could rush us. "It's been a long time since I've seen all my children under this roof after we rebuilt it. You all look like you haven't changed a bit! Except for you, Timara, you cut your hair!"

"I felt like I needed a change," I told him with a grin.

Makarov's gaze focused then on Natsu, who was still close beside me, and said, "Natsu, it's good to finally have you back. I debated on giving you a severe punishment for just leaving the way you did three years ago."

"Aw, c'mon, Gramps!" Natsu groaned. "We just got back! Can't you just lay off that for now?"

Makarov turned to Erza and Mira. "How much pain did Timara put Natsu through when he got back?"

"More than she put us through," Erza said as she shook her head. "She was the one to find him when he was done with training because they ended up fighting and didn't realize who the other was."

"Whenever he tried to get overprotective of her, she'd go ahead and just do what she wanted," Mira said, a soft laugh could be heard after her words.

"Maybe I won't punish him after all. I think she's done enough. Now, would someone care to explain why there are two wizards from Sabertooth here with you?"

"One is my brother and the other is his guild master," I explained. "They were captured by Black Eclipse like all the other Dragon Slayers except for Natsu and me."

"Why not the both of you?" Makarov asked suspiciously.

"They couldn't find me no matter how hard they tried and then Acnologia almost killed Timara since he already had one Shadow Dragon Slayer in his collection," Natsu growled. "However, Timara found out their plan when she went straight for the castle. The only problem with it is that we were forced to hand over the one piece of the puzzle they needed."

Makarov then made us tell him what he missed while we were gone, so we explained everything that we had discovered over the past three years. We told him about the plot to kill the Magic Council, Black Eclipse's sights set on using Etherion unopposed, and using Zeref as an extra power source to eliminate the waiting period for Etherion to charge. His expression was grim at our words, especially so when we informed him that Fairy Tail would be their first target.

"So, in other words, we need to get word to the Magic Council that they'll be assassinated soon by Black Eclipse," Makarov said to himself as we waited for a plan to made. "However, it will take a couple days for you all to get there since we don't have anyone here who knows Teleportation Magic."

"Are you kidding me?" Natsu yelled. "We've got a huge amount of people in this room and not one of them can Teleport us there?!"

"I could pair up with Rogue and we could—" I tried to say before I was cut off by Natsu and Gajeel.

"No!" they both yelled, glaring at me for different reasons. Gajeel cracked his knuckles and snarled menacingly as he said, "I don't trust that option anymore after I nearly drowned in a lake."

"Oh, you big baby," I grumbled. "Quit practically wearing metal or learn to swim. Then you can stop your complaining."

"Why don't we send the Dragon Slayers to them since they can fly while we travel in a magic vehicle?" Erza asked, trying to keep the peace between Gajeel and me before a fight broke out again. "That way they will be just a day ahead of us and we can get the word out faster."

"Alright, that's sounds like a plan then," Makarov said, then looked at me to give more instructions. "Timara, you're in charge of them until the rest can make it. Take those two Sabertooth Dragon Slayers with you for an extra set of hands to help out. We'll all try to make it to Era as fast as we can."

"You're going as well?" Natsu asked.

"I have a bad feeling that we'll need everyone involved in this fight if we're to survive," the master said.

Makarov explained where Era was, saying that it was exactly south of where Sabertooth used to be before Acnologia's attack and that we needed to hurry to get there before Black Eclipse's plan is set into motion. Laxus agreed to go with the group on the ground since he didn't have an Exceed partner and I knew it was also so that he could be around Mira. Ty grabbed me and we were airborne, waiting patiently for the other Dragon Slayers to follow suit before we jetted off into the sunset. I told Ty to stay in a southwesterly direction and she nodded as we flew along towards Era. All I could do during the flight was deeply hope that nothing had happened yet and that Black Eclipse hadn't gone ahead of schedule. Night had come and gone by the time we reached the mountains and I could tell that Ty was getting tired, so I wished upon the stars one last time that we could make it there in time.

I heard yelling behind me and saw that the others were gliding down to the ground and although I loathed stopping, I knew that we all needed the rest before we arrived. Ty and I sat up in the branches of a high tree and watched everyone below me get settled down in the grass as they rested. I could feel myself getting antsy about leaving already, but I let Ty sleep on my lap for a bit and saw that everyone else was sleeping as well. I decided that sleep would probably be the best thing for me and drifted off as well with the tree trunk against my spine.

* * *

I opened my eyes and saw the most brilliant light that I had ever seen, hissing a bit when my eyes hurt. I was completely surrounded by it and for some reason it frightened me. I closed my eyes to slits as I gazed up in an attempt to find the source, but to no avail. I knew for a fact that I wasn't dead yet, but I was so confused about what was going on. I felt the fear of the light growing with every passing second as I gazed up into it.

_There's something wrong with it. I can't run away and I can't hide._

My thoughts swirled in my mind as I felt dread slowly mixing with the fear. Now I knew for sure that something was wrong as the light seemed to intensify even more. It was getting to the point where I could feel my Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic burning out from it and a soft whimper escaped my lips. As it got impossibly brighter, I felt the fear radiate from me as I kept looking up at the sky.

_There's nothing I can do. It's too late. We're dead._

The last thought confused me more than ever since I couldn't see anyone else around me but then I felt the light getting closer and closer until I was screaming. I could feel a sense of anguish I couldn't understand crash into my mind as I watched, shivering as I sank to my knees. I tried to reach out a hand to somehow stop it from hitting me, but nothing I did worked and it slammed into me. I felt skin and muscle being rent from bone, then a dizzying amount of pain before I could feel no more.

* * *

With a gasp, I was instantly awake and I toppled out of the tree, grabbing Ty with one arm and using the remaining one combined with my legs to wrap around the branch I had been sleeping on. Ty woke up once she felt that she had been freefalling for a couple seconds, gasping a little and waking someone instantly in the process. I heard a voice call my name and I looked upside down to see that it was Natsu of course, his shout waking everyone else so that they gazed up at me in surprise. I unwrapped my legs from the branch, dangling with just one hand before letting go and landing on the branch below me on my feet. Then I clutched Ty tightly to me as I hopped down from the tree entirely.

"Are you ok?" Natsu asked as everyone seemed to sleepily rub their eyes. "Did you really just fall from the branch again while you were asleep?"

"I had another nightmare," I muttered as I watched everyone get to their feet.

"It wasn't another one about Acnologia torturing you, was it?"

"No, I haven't had a nightmare like that in three years," I told him. "This one was different. I just get a bad feeling whenever I think about it. I feel as if I should tread carefully as we proceed further on."

"That's probably a good idea," Natsu said as Ty grabbed hold of me to carry me off. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, so be cautious."

I nodded and we were off once again, morning's early rays shining brightly as the sun came up over the horizon. I kept mulling over the dream as we flew, keeping hope still even though the nightmare had soured things a bit. We flew over the foothills of the mountain and finally caught sight of Era from high up in the air. I could hear Wendy cry out excitedly as Carla laughed at her behavior and after a while we finally were able to land outside the building that held the Magic Council. The moment my feet hit the ground, I instantly froze as I listened carefully.

"Do you hear something?" Rogue asked me as both he and Natsu walked up to my sides.

"No, it's what I don't hear that bothers me," I told him. "It's way too quiet for the Magic Council to be here."

"You don't think they…?" Wendy tried to ask but then her words trailed off as a look of horror settled on her face.

"I think that the false lead idea that Black Eclipse had was already given to them and now they're all outside the city," Rogue said.

"They must have been gone for a while, too," Natsu said grimly as he sniffed the air. "Not only can I not sense any kind of magic that's been here recently, but I also can smell that there hasn't been anyone in this building for at least a couple days."

"We were too late," I growled. I was about to scream in frustration when I saw a somewhat familiar face. It was the man that had infiltrated our guild a few times, one by the name of Doranbolt. I moved faster than a blur with my magic, appearing before him and lifting him into the air by the collar as he looked extremely shocked. "I will put you back down once you tell me where the Magic Council disappeared to."

"They went over to a place just south of here a few days ago," he said nervously as he watched me. "They were informed that they all needed to go there since it was a matter of life or death. I still don't understand why, but that's the truth."

Barely giving him time to say another word, I set him down and we were all airborne as we rocketed into the sky. We headed south as we passed over the city and I looked down at all the people who walked around as if they didn't have a care in the world. I told Ty to fly even faster and shot over the city like a cannon as we left the walls easily. I wanted nothing more right now than to find the Magic Council members alive and well, just confused about our sudden appearance, but my gut feeling that seemed to get worse and worse forced me to think that something bad had occurred.

After about an hour of flying, I could see on the horizon a black spot, one that confounded me greatly as I observed it. I thought that it might be a building of some sort until we slowly got closer. It was on the ground but that was it. A little closer and I realized that it was a deep scar in the earth, one that was black and dark looking. As Ty landed about 100 feet away, I ran as fast as I could to the scar and didn't bother listening to the yells after me. This was something that I needed to see and nothing anyone could do would stop me. I ran along until I saw that people ringed the outside of the scar, looking extremely bloody and anguished expressions covered their faces. As I walked up to the rim of the scar, I gasped as I caught sight of what the others had wanted to stop for.

Looking down into the scar, there were piles among piles of bodies lying with it. They were all covered in blood and looked as if some had been ripped limb from limb. I gazed down at this in a deep sense of numbness as I kept observing the sight of the bodies in the scar. I gasped again when I saw that some more of the bodies had a look about them that suggested that the life had been drained from them entirely. I realized then that they must have used Zeref for their dastardly deeds and I growled fiercely after I had gotten used to the sight of the bodies.

I heard footsteps behind me and I whispered, "Don't let Wendy see. This isn't something that a girl her age should witness."

"I won't let her," I heard Natsu tell me and I knew that he must have been standing nearby the whole time when I stopped to look into the scar. "Are you ok after seeing all this?"

"I'll be fine," I told him. "I'm more devastated right now at being one step behind Black Eclipse. They're already using Zeref to do their dirty work. We need to stop them soon."

"As soon as we find them, we can put an end to their evil scheming," Natsu said as he walked over to stand beside me. "So, what's our next move?"

"Now, I think the only thing we can do is wait," I whispered, hoping that this wasn't a sign that we were losing.


	18. The Start of a War

**Hey, guys! Thanks to all the wonderful people who have read the story so far! I plan on keeping this one short because it's pretty late and I'm tired. So, this is the period of time before they head to war with Black Eclipse and all hell breaks loose. Enjoy this last moment of calm before chaos erupts everywhere!**

* * *

**Chapter 18: The Start of a War**

Much to their intense chagrin, we stayed put by the scar in the ground until our reinforcements arrived on scene. I had a soul deep feeling that our power right now wouldn't be enough if we charged after Black Eclipse without waiting for the rest of the fighting force from Fairy Tail, even going so far as to think that we'd be slaughtered. Even though it bothered me greatly, I could see the logic in waiting, especially since our enemies were vast and possessed a Dragon.

It didn't matter how much coaxing Natsu tried to get me away from the hole in the earth since I refused to move a muscle where I sat upon a rock near the edge. I ignored his attempts to make me join the rest of the group, instead opting to watch over the fallen like it had been my fault they died such a grisly death. Ty had left to go play with Happy and Frosch, who seemed not as afraid of her now, and kept looking over at me occasionally to make sure I was alright. Finally, after the fifth or so time that I had ignored him entirely, he trudged over to me and sat down beside the rock I was using.

"I have a very stubborn mate, it seems," he said to himself with a sigh.

"You knew what you were getting into when you bit me that day," I told him flatly, hearing his soft chuckle at my words.

He looked as if he had something snarky to say to me when I saw him pause like he was thinking about something different, a slight frown on his lips as he gazed up at me. "Do you have a plan for when we find Black Eclipse?"

"A vague one, but it's a plan nevertheless," I said. "I'd need to assess the situation fully once we get there to have a detailed one."

"So what's your vague plan then?"

"I take a small group of elites with me to get Zeref and stop Etherion from firing while the rest fight with Black Eclipse," I told him. "I'm extremely sure that they have a vast army that needs to be dealt with and we'll need all the help we can get."

It was then that I heard a dazed moaning sound, one that startled me enough that I nearly toppled over backwards into the black scar in the ground. Thankfully, Natsu grabbed my arm and steadied me as I looked backwards into the hole to find the source of the noise. I inhaled sharply in surprise when I saw slight movement in the hole, an arm breaking free from the pile of bodies and limbs and waving weakly. Without a second thought, I jumped back into the hole, spreading shadowy wings as Natsu yelled in shock at my actions. Stopping a foot away from the piles, I grasped the arm of the survivor and heaved as hard as I could, beating my wings strongly as I slowly pulled the person free. I saw a head pull free and noticed that it was a scared looking man who began to thrash in fear.

"Quit doing that!" I yelled at him. "I swear, I will leave you here in the pile of bodies if you don't! You're not helping your cause, buddy!"

With another strong downbeat, I flew upwards even more and pulled the man's torso free and heard the man scream as he looked down at what was left of his right arm. His arm was missing from the elbow down, blood beginning to pour heavily and it fueled my efforts to get him free. I placed a shadow bandage over it temporarily and he howled in pain as I yanked even harder, finally pulling his legs out and I flapped my wings as hard as I could to ascend above the hole. The man shrieked again when he saw that his left leg was missing, so I placed yet another bandage over it to stop the bleeding there as well. After all the blood that I had seen drop from him, I was sure that he wouldn't live long regardless of if we helped him or not. I figured that we could at least get the answers we needed from him before he passed on.

I set the deathly pale man down on the ground as everyone ran over to crowd around. "Please," the man whispered. "I don't want to die…"

"I don't think you have any choice in the matter," Gajeel grumbled. "From what I can tell, you just lost an enormous amount of blood. The buzzards will be flying overhead soon to wait until they can pick at your dead body."

I saw fear in the poor man's eyes and I punched Gajeel in the shoulder with a fierce look. "You don't tell a dying man something like that, you idiot!"

"Please… save me…" the man groaned in pain.

"I don't think we can," I told him quietly. "Even if we cauterize what's left of your leg and arm, you will most likely go into shock and die. I think this way would be easier for you."

I saw the man's breathing start to get ragged as his eyes began to turn glassy. He lifted up his arm that was intact, moving it slightly to signal that he wanted me to hold his hand. When I did, I felt my mind being dragged down into his memories and I opened my eyes to see the Magic Council still alive. They were all standing around as if searching for something, one of them wondering where their contact was located now since he said to meet him here. There was a loud crack as a large group of people all dressed in dark gray appeared, the man in front was definitely Paladin as he grinned over to the Magic Council.

"Ah, great! Just in time for the grand finale!" Paladin said before pointing his staff at one of the members of the Magic Council. "I think I like your fear the best. You're afraid of demons." Paladin waved the staff and scaly red demons appeared out of thin air, long fangs and red eyes were most prominent as they waved their tails back and forth. Paladin then turned around, grabbing someone before pushing him out in front. I gasped in my mind as I saw that it was Zeref, who had cloudy red eyes and looked as if he was being controlled already. He looked paler than a ghost and refused to move a muscle. "We'll leave Zeref here for now and come back for him when the job is done."

I saw him disappear with the rest of them and a howling roar echoed throughout the plains as the demons ran at the Magic Council. I saw the demons attack them and blood spurted onto my face. The memory began to fizzle out as the man was breathing his last breath, but I could vaguely see through the static that one of the demons blasted Zeref with magic, forcing him to let out a blast of Death Magic. I was pulled back out of the memory entirely as I saw the man's eyes glaze over before they slowly shut, a rattling breath escaping his lips before he went still.

"What just happened?" Sting asked me.

"He just showed me what happened to the Magic Council," I said quietly. "It was definitely Black Eclipse and they have Zeref under some sort of spell. He acted like he was hypnotized and I can tell this won't be easy."

We decided that it would be a good idea to bury the dead man instead of throwing him back into the pit with the rest of the Magic Council. I thought it would be the kind way to do things so I made Gajeel use Iron Dragon's Sword to cut a six foot deep rectangle in the ground and the rest of us heaved the block of earth up. We set the man down in the grave and I said a few words in hopes that he would find a great beyond and be at peace there. I then pushed the earth back over into the grave, then found two small branches to lash together with shadow ropes like a makeshift headstone. After that, I waited alone until sunset and I could faintly hear the rumble of engines.

I looked up and took notice of the reflections of light quickly approaching on the horizon, so I stood up and joined the others in waiting. I hadn't been expecting for the whole guild to be arriving, but I saw as about twenty vehicles full of wizards except for one car was empty. I saw Erza was driving that one and she waved at us to come closer. After we ran up to her, she told us that Makarov was going to lead us to the place where Etherion was hidden and that we had to ride in the vehicles now. We all hopped into the back of the vehicle, getting settled inside and I took the window seat, everyone groaning sickly as the vehicle began to move. Natsu and I leaned against each other and I felt Ty curl up on my lap as she took a nap. I was envious of her as my stomach revolted the motion of the vehicle.

"This is ridiculous," Natsu groaned. "Why couldn't we have just flown instead of being stuck in here?"

"We do have to let our partners rest at some point," I pointed out to him, hearing the rest of them grumble in frustration. I saw Wendy give them all a sad look before she crawled out the window to sit beside Erza with Carla. I had a feeling that it was so no one would be tempted to ambush her into using Troia on them. It sounded like a good idea to me, but I quickly let the thought go when I felt my stomach lurch in protest at a bump.

"Slow down, Erza!" Natsu called out to her sickly.

"If you want us to get there faster, then we need to stay this speed," she told him.

"Ugh, make it stop, Timara," Natsu whispered to me.

"I can knock you out if you truly want," I told him.

"No way, Erza did that once and then left me on the train. I'm never going through that experience again."

"That explains why I had to drag you on the train to Magnolia," I mumbled to myself.

"You can knock me out if you want," Sting said with a weak grin. "You have to kiss me first though."

I grabbed Natsu by the scarf before he could try to attack Sting, forcing him to sit back on the seat and he growled low in his throat at Sting. All I could do was shake my head as the tension between them rose and I kept a tight grip on his scarf in case he tried anything again. I saw Erza look back at us and she just rolled her eyes. I asked her if the drive up here was uneventful and she told us that there hadn't been any fights on the way, so it was taken as a sign of good will. I breathed out a sigh of relief and looked out the window, feeling my stomach disagree with that choice as I watched the scenery change from the plains to a forest. When night fell, the vehicles all stopped and we got out by practically launching ourselves out of the door. I heard Erza laugh a little as we all sprawled out on the grass for a few minutes as our stomachs settled.

As the food was being brought around to cook over a fire that Natsu started, I decided that I wanted fresh food instead of the kinds found in travel packs. I snuck off when no one was looking, taking Ty along as I crept soundlessly through the forest. I figured that jumping from branch to branch would alert any wildlife around and would scare them off, so I stuck to walking along on the forest floor.

"What are we doing?" Ty hissed in my ear.

"Hunting," I whispered.

"We can't hunt something!"

"Of course we can. I want real food and therefore I will go get it myself."

I heard a twig snap and I froze, listening carefully when I heard movement off to my side. Using my peripheral vision, I could see a huge buck strutting along without a care in the world. I stayed motionless as it kept walking, not even noticing me as its head went down to eat some grass. I tensed my muscles before launching myself forward with magic and I almost tackled the deer to the ground when I hit by something, being thrown into the ground by something that weighed more than me as it slammed into me as well. I heard the deer's panicked running as I tried to get free and run after it, but I heard a familiar growl near my ear and stopped fighting altogether.

"Damn it, Natsu," I sighed as he got up, pulling me to my feet and I turned to face him. "You made me lose my dinner."

"You're not going to eat that deer when the food they brought along with them is perfectly fine," he told me. "Let the deer live a while longer."

"Fine, but you better be right about the food or I swear you'll regret it," I told him with an amused grin.

We wandered back to the makeshift camp with the huge bonfire that was roaring almost out of control, but a few Fire Wizards were keeping it in check. I saw a large table had been set up with some benches, although I didn't have a clue how they managed to bring them along. Food was already set up for us and we were yelled at to hurry up to get our plates ready.

"Hey, where did you two run off to?" Gray asked, sitting awfully close to Juvia.

"Timara decided that she wanted to catch a deer so she could eat it, so I had to stop her," Natsu said as he sat down opposite of the two of them, pulling me down onto the bench beside him.

"Why did you do that?" Juvia asked me.

"I didn't think you brought normal food along so I thought I'd go hunt some down," I explained with a shrug. "I almost had that deer, too, if Natsu hadn't tackled me to the ground."

"Ah, so _that's_ what you've really been doing all this time," Gray said with a mischievous grin. "Out hooking up in the forest, huh?"

Before Natsu could say anything, I grabbed a biscuit and tossed it at Gray, smacking him hard in the face and leaving a bright red mark. I laughed and threw another one, only to have Gray freeze it midair, catch it, and then throw it back at me. Natsu caught it before I did, thawing it out and burning it a little before taking a huge bite from it. I snatched it from his hand and ate the rest of it, grinning at him after it was gone. I grabbed a roll this time and tossed it at Gray again, who was beginning to look miffed as he froze it in midair again before catching it.

"STOP THROWING FOOD DOWN THERE!" Makarov bellowed from the head of the table, glaring fiercely at us.

"Sorry, Gramps!" Natsu yelled back to him as I hunched down beside him and tried to stifle my laughter. One last time when Makarov wasn't looking, I tossed a couple peas at Gray and he just shook his head as we all began to eat.

After we had dinner, it was decided then that it would be time for desert. Erza brought out a bag of marshmallows, along with chocolate and graham crackers. We all found long sticks and place the marshmallows at the end of them before sticking them near the fire. Every time though, Natsu would blow a thin rope of flame on my marshmallow and incinerate it. So as payback, I would make his marshmallow disappear into the shadows and reappear in my hand before I ate it.

"Sometime soon, you're going to stop that and then we'll be ok," I told him with a fake glare.

"Stop what?" he asked with an evil grin.

"You know what you're doing," I told him sternly.

"Natsu, stop burning her marshmallows. I don't want to hear about this all the time after," Erza said with a smile.

Finally, after all that time, I could toast my marshmallows the way I wanted, then actually make a s'more for the first time all night. I laughed a little after taking my first bite, remembering a piece of my childhood after losing my memory. Rogue and I had made a fire for the night and ate dinner after our day of training with Skiadrum. Dinner had been eaten and I was about to head to bed when Rogue stopped me. He pulled out a bag of fluffy looking candy, bars in a brown and silver package, and what looked like crackers.

"Want to make s'mores?" he asked me, his red eyes lighting up in excitement. "I found all the ingredients for it in town yesterday and I've been dying to make some for a while now. It's been a long time since I've had them."

"What are s'mores?" I asked him, feeling a bit nervous as if I should remember something like that.

"You don't even remember what s'mores are?" he asked incredulously, pushing his bangs from his red eyes as they fell down where he couldn't see. "I know that you lost all your memories beyond the attack, but I figured that you'd at least retain some knowledge about little things like these."

"Don't make fun of me, Rogue, you know it's not something I can control," I whispered, feeling the familiar frustration at my memory loss well up from within as I stared into the fire with tears beginning to form.

"Sorry, Timara, I didn't mean to," he said, his expression lightening as he let me see one of his rare smiles. He showed each of the ingredients to me and explained what they were to me, then he found sticks outside the cave to bring back. Then he placed one of the puffy white snack foods called a marshmallow onto both sticks and then handed me one. "Now just place the marshmallow near the fire to toast it a bit."

I did as he said, leaving it just beside the crackling flames until I watched it turn golden, which is when Rogue reached over and pulled it away from the fire. He made me place it between chocolate and two pieces of graham cracker, then told me to eat it. I examined it for a few seconds at different angles before taking a hesitant bite. I gasped in joy as the sweet taste exploded on my tongue and I giggled, practically putting the whole thing in my mouth and chewing it up. I made myself a few more before Rogue finally cut me off.

"I think you've had enough for now, Timara," he said with a laugh. "You're going to end up with a heavy sugar rush and you won't be able to sleep."

"Aw, Rogue, just one more!" I told him, pouting and giving him the most adorable look I could muster.

He sighed but made me one more and I hugged him happily as I ate the last one for the night. After that, he had been right since I couldn't sleep a wink until late at night because of all the sugar I had eaten. Still, it was a happy memory that I shared with my brother, even though I was plagued with the problem of memory loss. I blinked and was back in the present again, Natsu looking at me curiously as I shook my head a little.

"Are you alright?" he asked me. "You kind of zoned out on me there."

"I'm fine," I told him with a reassuring smile. "I was just remembering the first time I had s'mores back when Skiadrum was alive."

"You and Rogue making s'mores? I find that hard to believe," he said with a laugh. "He's just so uptight."

"He wasn't always like that," I explained as I moved closer to him. "He used to be pretty carefree as a child back before our parents' deaths, more so than I was back then. He always used to smile and it was infectious, so you would end up smiling with him. He changed once our mom and dad died, not smiling at all except for the occasional time that was a rare sight."

"Are you happy that you have your memories back?" Natsu suddenly asked me, changing the topic so fast that I was a bit surprised.

"Of course I am," I told him. "Before, I'd always felt like there was a piece of me missing, some part of me that was vital to me and until I found it I would just live a half-life. Now that I've regained those memories, I feel like I'm whole again. It's good to know that I had an actual family at one point in time, one that loved me beyond a shadow of a doubt."

"You know you've still got that as well, right?" he said, taking my hand and sliding his fingers between mine. "Fairy Tail is like one big happy family. You never have to worry about being alone ever again."

"I don't worry about that now," I said. "I know that everyone is here for me if I need it. And I've got you now since you're my mate."

He leaned over to kiss the top of my head and I heard Makarov yell that it was time to get some rest before we moved on just before dawn. No one seemed very happy about that decision, but we all grabbed tents and set them up as fast as we could. We knew that we needed to get to sleep fast if we had to be up early, so the tents were placed within record time. After that, we had to corral the drunks that were wandering around the camp and stumbling into things. It took the longest time to get Cana into one of the tents since she kept walking around and finding more alcohol in hiding places that she set up. We had to chase her down as she ran about drunkenly until finally someone found her and grabbed her, carrying her back to her tent as she yelled a vast amount of profanities that would make a nun blush. We finally had her settled down and we headed back to our tents to catch some sleep for a while. I snuggled up to Natsu as our partners fell asleep on the pillow above our heads, listening to his heart beating strongly as his breathing slowed and its hypnotic rhythym made me fall asleep soon after.

* * *

There was an explosion of light, one that seemed to slowly rush to me as I opened my eyes as much as I could. I felt apprehension plaguing me as I felt it get closer. My first thought was that this situation was just wrong as the light seemed to intensify and get even brighter. The ground began to shake beneath my feet and I thought I could hear someone yell to me to run, but it felt as if my feet were rooted to the spot as I watched it get closer and closer. I didn't know what else to do and I knew that my fate was sealed when I began to feel the light burning away at my magic. Nothing I could do would stop it as it slowly came even closer. I hissed as it burned my magic even faster. I could hear feet running behind me and it was so quiet that I thought it was just my imagination. The light came closer and I screamed as it flared up to tear away my magic. I felt my body burning away at the same time and the shrieking became even worse as it rang through my ears. I thought I would finally die but the torture just seemed to continue on. I could even hear someone else yelling behind me as the same thing happened to them, but by that point I could no longer care about what happened to them as I was mercifully allowed to slip away into the darkness of death. I knew I should have kept fighting, but I didn't have the energy left as I closed my eyes for the last time.

* * *

I was about to scream when I felt a hand clap over my mouth, smothering the shrieks that threatened to rip from my throat as he rubbed my back slowly in a comforting manner. Still in shock, I could feel tremors of fear travelling down my spine as I looked up into Natsu's eyes and the nightmare tried to keep me in its grasp. I let out a soft whimper when he finally lifted the hand covering my mouth and gave me a worried look.

"Are you ok?" he asked me as he searched my eyes for the truth. "I woke up because I felt like you were having a nightmare. Good thing I did, too, since you were about to scream at the top of your lungs."

"It was another weird dream like last night," I told him as the shivering slowly came to a stop. "I don't even know why this keeps happening, but what I do know is that it feels so real."

Before Natsu could say another word in response, I could hear Makarov yelling that it was time to get up and move on. We took down the tents and headed in the direction of the magic vehicles, everyone getting into the ones they'd been in yesterday and getting settled. I once again sat down next to the window as Erza, Wendy, and Carla sat in the front seat to drive the vehicle. The moment it moved, a bunch of moans and groans could be heard from us all as our issue with motion sickness acted up again. Natsu was slumped against me this time, his head resting on my shoulder as he made pitiful noises of discomfort when it began to get worse.

The rest of the day went by in a haze of motion sickness, one that was bad enough that I couldn't even remember much of the drive until dusk when the vehicles all stopped suddenly. Erza told us that we had finally reached our destination and we all bolted out of the vehicle at the same time, managing to get stuck in the door. It almost caused a screaming match to break out when Erza hissed for us to stay quiet, so we carefully disentangled ourselves as silently as possible and made our way to where the rest of Fairy Tail was standing. We made our way to the front of the group where a grim looking Makarov was waiting for us.

"I think you should have a look, Timara," he said, gesturing for me to walk forward.

I nodded and made my way further ahead to see that we were all standing on an enormous cliff, looking down upon a huge valley that held a large building with four multicolored towers at the very top. In the middle of the towers on the roof was a massive metal doorway and I knew that it must house the colossal crystal that was the Main Cannon of Etherion. I could feel Zeref's magic power all the way from here and I was about to let out a low growl when I happened to look down even further, letting out a gasp as I finally saw why Makarov looked so morose.

Lining the valley floor and looking like ants, there were a vast amount of members from Black Eclipse, seeming like a wave of dark gray that seemed to extend from one side of the valley to the other. I couldn't even count how many were down there as I gazed at them all in shock, my brain not fully processing the fight we would have in store if we wanted to defeat them all.

"There's thousands… no, at least a couple million of them down there right now," I said to myself quietly. "Not only that, but they have that Dragon hiding somewhere once the fight starts."

"Our odds do look awfully bleak right now," Makarov agreed as I walked back over to them. "It doesn't look like this will be an easy one to win. We'll need a good strategy if we all want to make it out alive. I have a feeling that they'll try to fire Etherion on us, regardless of the fact that a great number of their members will be fighting against us."

"They're definitely the type to try that," Natsu said. "I bet only a quarter of their fighting force would be able to survive and that they'd be inside the building with Etherion when it fires."

"You look like you already have a plan, Timara," the master said.

"I do, actually," I told him. "I think a small group of elites should go into the building to get Zeref from their clutches and stop Etherion from firing while the rest of our fighting force provides the distraction that would be needed for the elite group to get inside. Obviously, we'd all start out fighting together until the small force can clear a path through the Black Eclipse army."

"I'm guessing that you'll lead the small group of elites then since you have a better chance of stopping Etherion and getting to Zeref," Makarov said to me.

"I'll be going with her," Natsu said and I could sense the stubbornness emanating from him.

"Actually, I was thinking that you could stay with the large fighting force," I told him, our gazes catching as he began to glare at me. "You should be with them in case Acnologia attacks. Then, you can have your revenge."

"He can wait," Natsu growled. "I don't care what you say because I'm going with you, even if I have to sneak away from the main group and follow you."

I sighed but knew that he was extremely serious about giving chase, so I nodded and let him come with. It was decided that Erza, Gray, and Lucy would come along with the two of us and I began to get a bit excited for the battle at hand. Just as we were all about to sneak our way down the cliff, there was an alarm that began to blare loudly and I looked down from the cliff to see every set of eyes look up at us. They now knew that we were here.


	19. Fairy Tail vs Black Eclipse

**Hey, everyone! Sorry it took so long to finish up this chapter. I felt the need to go a bit overboard and make sure that everything is perfect for this chapter, especially since this is where everything gets action packed. I'm happy to announce that the storm breaks in this chapter and all hell does indeed break loose. I got really excited writing this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!**

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**Chapter 19: Fairy Tail vs. Black Eclipse**

I was about to make my move and charge down there when Makarov stopped me. "Let's see what they do first," he said. "That way we really know what we're up against."

I nodded and we all gathered around the edge of the cliff. Looking down, we all watched the sea of Black Eclipse that was completely still. They stared back up at us without moving, as if waiting for more orders before they could attack. As soon as I thought that, a different alarm was blaring, sending one long noise echoing across the valley to us on top of the cliff and instantly Black Eclipse began to move. They raised their arms into the air, pointing them in our direction and began to charge up magic. It then became a shimmering black ocean of magic before it was sent rocketing in our direction. It looked like a huge cloud, one that was definitely dangerous. Just before it could hit us, I waved my arm and forced a barrier to appear. The dark magic was absorbed into the barrier and I released it as soon as their magic was completely gone.

"Could that have caused us serious damage?" Gray asked me.

"Oh, it could have killed us," I said with a grin. "This is definitely going to be more of a challenge than I originally thought."

"You can stop sounding so thrilled about this," Gray mumbled.

"Well, I think it's time," Makarov said.

With a yell, he took running and led the charge as we all took off to the right of the cliff. I kept up the barrier as Black Eclipse began firing more magic at us and we tried to find a place where the cliff was at its lowest. Finally, there was a bit of a dip in the rock face and the cliff wasn't a steep drop-off but instead a rocky hill. We ran down it, a few of us tumbling down but the rest managed to stay on our feet as we kept running. Before Black Eclipse could run up the rocky hill after us and block our way, I used Shadow Dragon's Roar to clear a huge hole in the crowd on the valley floor and we jumped down to start fighting. I leapt out in front and used Shadow Dragon's Slash on anyone who came too close, moving too fast for them to even strike back.

"Duck!" I heard Natsu yell before he tackled me to the ground. I looked up to see a barrage of bullets shoot past where I was standing and I was finally pulled to my feet once they were gone. I whipped around to see a sheepish looking Bisca and Alzack before they ran off, shooting at other people on the outskirts of our circle.

"Thanks, Natsu," I said, patting him on the shoulder before going back to the fight with him by my side.

We watched each other's backs as we took down as many people from Black Eclipse as possible, but we still hadn't put a dent in their numbers and I knew that we would run out of magic power before all of them were taken down. I was about to attack a large group of men with weapons when I felt something grab me and pull me into the air. I heard Natsu and Ty yell as I twisted in midair and caught sight of the Chain Magic attached to me. I braced myself for impact as I was slammed into the ground where I was immediately jumped upon by a large amount of Black Eclipse.

"Grab her!" one of them said. "The boss said we'd get a big reward if we bring her in alive for him to kill!"

I squirmed in their hold and broke free, pointing my hands straight at them before yelling, "Shadow Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

A huge blast wave of shadows erupted from my hands, wiping out a huge number of Black Eclipse surrounding me and giving me a wide circle of space as they gazed at me uncertainly. I heard a roar as a huge tiger leapt over their heads, landing gracefully in front of me. It hunched down in front of me, its red eyes glinting dangerously.

"Get on!" Ty roared, swiping out her claws at the men that snapped out of their stupor and tried to rush at us.

I bounded over to her, jumping up high to land on her back as she stood back up, then jumped up and over the men's heads and back over to the circle that Fairy Tail had carved out. As I looked down in midair, I saw that our guild had finally pushed through to the center of the valley and were now surrounded by the huge ocean of Black Eclipse that swarmed them. I figured that now was as good a time as any to make our move into the building with Etherion since we would need to end this as soon as possible if we wanted to still have enough magic power. Ty landed gracefully and I jumped down next to Natsu, Ty turning back into her regular form and flying over to stand on my shoulder.

"Good, you're ok," he said over the screams and yells from the fight. "I was worried when I saw you go airborne."

"It's fine, they only wanted to take me into the building for a reward so Paladin could kill me himself," I said with laugh. "Anyway, I just got a bird's eye view of the battlefield and we are still vastly outnumbered. I think it's about time that our little group tries to head for the Etherion building. We need to take out the leader and this fight will end before we all use up our magic power."

We ran over to Erza, who was presently in her Flight Armor to be faster than her opponents, and told her that it was time to rush the building. She was about as fast as I am as she practically disappeared, reappearing in front of Gray and Lucy, who had summoned Loke to fight for her, and dragged them over to us. I explained the situation that we were in and how we needed to end this fight sooner rather than later or we would all be done for and they nodded in agreement. We were just about to start fighting our way to the building when I heard a rumbling noise and I happened to look up towards the massive structure that housed Etherion. Faintly, I could hear screams coming from it as the top of the Main Cannon appeared when it began to raise up from the depths of the building. The Main Cannon was an enormous diamond shaped crystal that shimmered in the light.

"Oh no, they're going to fire it now!" Lucy yelped, the blood draining from her face.

"No, they're not or they would have done it already," I said. "The man behind it all is an arrogant jerk who wants to show off the power he has at his command. He won't fire it yet because he wants us to come after him first to try and stop him."

Thunder rumbled nearby as dark clouds rolled in, the fight was intensifying even more around us. There was a crack of blue white lightning as the sky turned black and I could hear through the noise an ominous laughter. As a chill swept down my spine, the lightning swept under the clouds as a huge dark shape dropped from the clouds and onto a cliff to the west of the building.

"Stupid Dragon," I said under my breath.

Almost as if it could hear me, it turned its head and roared down at me, the lightning flashes increasing in number as the Dragon leaned over the side of the cliff. It bared its fangs in an evil looking grin, its eyes glinting murderously as it readied a Roar to blast down on us. There was a bellowing noise and I turned away from the Dragon to see Makarov growing to epic proportions until he reached the size of the Dragon itself. Once he was in his Titan form, he ran towards the Dragon, Black Eclipse trying their very best to avoid being stomped to death, and then jumped up to the cliff to tackle the Dragon to its back.

Keeping the Dragon pinned down, Makarov turned back to us and yelled, "Go now! I'll hold Acnologia off long enough for you to stop Etherion from being fired and to get Zeref back!"

I gave an exaggerated salute to our guild master and was about to do exactly as he said when I turned to see Natsu frozen on the spot. His gaze was fixed upon the Dragon that fought to be free of Makarov and he looked beyond enraged, his eyes darker than the sky itself. None of my attempts to get his attention worked and he still remained rooted to the spot. Finally, I moved in front of him and saw his eyes move down to mine.

"If you want to go fight him while we go stop Paladin, you can," I told him. "I won't stop you. I know you want revenge for Diamantina and I won't interfere or help unless you ask me to."

I watched as he pushed his rage to the back of his mind for now and said, "No, I'm staying with you for now. I'm not going to let you go in without me there to protect you. Once we stop Paladin and get Zeref, then I will go fight Acnologia."

"The next question is how we're going to get all the way over to the building," Erza said. "It's an awfully long way to have to keep fighting off Black Eclipse just to get to the door."

"I've got an idea," Natsu said, extending his right arm to grab my left hand, then pulled me closer with his other hand on my back. As I wrapped my other arm around his waist, he gave me a grin and said, "How about we show Black Eclipse and Acnologia a hint of our true power?"

I grinned back as our magic power practically ripped from us and into the air. I saw the fire mixed with tiny shards of crystals and the shadows slowly begin to mix together and there was a power surge as the ground began to rumble beneath our feet. My gaze locked on to the wall nearest the door and the rumbling got worse when all of a sudden a huge wave of shadowy fire leapt from us, looking like glassy red black lava as it swept away a path through the members of Black Eclipse and slammed into the wall. It broke a massive hole into the building and rolled into the building, then it shifted as it solidified until it formed a huge tunnel through it and into the building where we couldn't be attacked anymore.

"Was that a Unison Raid?" Lucy asked Gray.

"Certainly looked like it," he said. "If any two people could be able to use it, it would definitely be them."

"Where'd the crystals come from?" Erza asked as she looked over at the burned bodies at either side of the crystal tunnel.

"They're mine, but we don't have time to discuss that," Natsu said as he let go of me long enough to take my hand again and run. "We need to get inside the building while they're all dazed."

We took off at a dead sprint while Erza ran beside me and I knew she was about to interrogate us both at the same time. "Timara, did you know anything about this?"

"Yes, I did, but he made me promise not to tell anyone," I told her. "Happy knows, too."

"Don't look at me, Erza! I'm staying out of this!" Happy protested as he flew over Natsu's shoulder.

"Now isn't the time to talk about this, Erza!" Natsu yelled to her. "After the battle, we can discuss it all you want, but right now we need to finish this!"

She grumbled something under her breath low enough that we couldn't hear it over the roar of yells and screams of outrage from Black Eclipse and we continued on through the crystalline tunnel. A few men tried to bust their way inside with their fists, but all they succeeded in doing was breaking a few bones in their hands. Their magic didn't even leave a scratch on the outer walls and we finally made it inside of the building to see a lot more of the scorched bodies, a couple of them severely burned yet still alive. As we passed them by, they passed away peacefully and I still felt a light twinge of regret at putting them through that kind of pain. At least they went quickly.

It took a while before we finally saw a huge spiral stair case that would lead us upwards, each of the many floors attached to the spiral with a huge hole in the very middle where the Main Cannon could float up from the basement. This was going to be difficult, I thought to myself as we ran to the steps, practically taking them two at a time. We reached the first floor to see a teeming mob of Black Eclipse waiting for us, giving us all an evil grin before charging at us.

"Requip!" Erza yelled as her Flight Armor shifted into her Heaven's Wheel Armor.

As she jumped into the air and hovered, a mass of swords all formed before launching themselves down at the mob approaching. There were screams and a lot of them fell from her blades, but there were still a lot left. Natsu and I blasted the rest with our Roars as Erza landed behind us and we ran over to the next set of stairs. I knew we were going to be physically exhausted by the time we reached the top floor and we still had a ways to go yet. The next floor yielded the same results, yet another mob waiting for us. This time, Gray used Ice Make: Floor when they charged at us and as they tripped, Erza hit them all with another mass of blades. We were hesitant to run along the surface with all of the ice and one time I slipped, almost hitting the floor hard if Natsu hadn't been there to grab me before I fell.

"Damn it, Gray!" I yelled at him. "If you use that move again, I swear I will toss you down this hole and the only company you'll ever have again is Etherion!"

"You wouldn't dare," Gray grumbled under his breath.

"No, but I would, Ice Princess," Natsu told him.

"You really want to fight right now, Flame Brain?" Gray growled.

"Enough!" I yelled as I kept Natsu from attacking him. As Lucy pulled Gray back, I said, "We've get bigger problems to deal with than petty fights! Now stop acting like children and let's go!"

The rest of the time was spent either running while under an intense silence or fighting once we reached another floor. When we reached the second to last floor to the top, the mob of Black Eclipse was even larger this time. I tried to rush at them and help but Natsu wrapped an arm around me, even going so far as to lift me off the ground so I couldn't run or get enough leverage to make him let me go.

"Conserve your magic!" he hissed in my ear. "You want to be able to take down Paladin, right?"

"Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" I bit out, my body turning entirely into shadows so that Natsu couldn't keep his hold on me. Ty gasped and jumped over to Natsu's shoulder as she watched me.

Lucy gasped and I knew I must really look like a demon now, wings forming on my back and I flapped them as I went airborne. The mob all cowered down, looking as if they were torn between facing me or facing their leader's wrath if they ran back to him. I lifted a hand and pointed it at them as the shadows leapt from me, blasting them all like a huge laser beam. I heard screams that went silent a few seconds later and when the laser fizzled out, there were prone bodies lying everywhere. Letting my body turn to normal, I dropped down and landed gracefully on my feet, turning to see Natsu about to storm over to me when Erza stopped him.

"You two can argue about her acts of defiance later," she said to him. "Right now, we have something worse to worry about."

I took off running with the rest of them at my heels, Ty flying over to next to my shoulder as I took the steps two at a time. I saw a large arched doorway as I ran through it with Ty, the rest of the group five steps behind me. I heard a buzzing noise and I whipped around to see a huge barrier with letters almost similar to the magic that Freed used, one that seemed a little simpler yet just as complex. These letters were bright green and covered the entire archway, forcing the rest of my little group to stop just outside.

"Timara!" Natsu yelled frantically, smashing his fists into the barrier as hard as he could.

"Natsu!" I yelled back, running over to the barrier and placing my hands on the barrier itself. I looked up at it to see if there was some kind of loophole, but I couldn't see any. It was a magic barrier that only let Ty and me through and I sighed before looking back to Natsu. "Listen, you've all got to go."

"I'm not leaving you behind!" he yelled at me, his fist pounded the barrier again. "I can't just let you fight him alone! I refuse to—"

"Shut up, Natsu!" I cut him off, watching as he glared at me but stayed silent. "It's pointless for you to stay here behind this barrier when you can't do anything! If you want to be helpful, then go back outside and help Makarov fight Acnologia!" I turned my gaze to Erza next, who looked back at me stoicly as she waited for what I had to say. "You, Gray, Lucy, and Loke should go back and help the rest of Fairy Tail in the fight. I can take care of things here on my own."

"Are you sure about this?" Erza asked me seriously. "We can always try to find another way in."

"I swear on my life that I can do this," I told her gravely. "Trust me."

She nodded, turning around and beckoning for the others to follow her back down to the ground floor. "Let's go, guys, she can do this. Let's give Natsu a moment alone with her. He'll follow after us soon."

They left reluctantly but the moment they were out of earshot, Natsu spoke up. "I don't like this one bit. It goes against every instinct I have."

"I know it does," I told him with a feeble smile. "I'm sorry for that. I think it's about time you get that revenge you've wanted so much. Just go."

He looked torn but he still nodded, placing his hands on the barrier over where mine were and sighed. "I love you, Timara. Don't you dare die on me while I'm gone."

"I love you, too, Natsu, and I don't plan on dying any time soon."

With one last look into my eyes, he turned around and ran back down the stairs. I watched his retreating form until I finally couldn't see him anymore before turning around to look in the room I was in. I felt Tyger rubbing her cheek against mine in an attempt to comfort me and I reached up to pat her on the head in thanks. As I walked forward around the hole from which the Main Cannon came forth from the basement, I stayed next to decorative half wall beside the hole and immediately saw Zeref dangling from four strange wires above the hole itself from the ceiling. Each one of the wires was attached to a machine that attached to each of the multicolored poles and it glowed darkly with each flash of light. I then heard a sinister laugh and looked over at a makeshift throne where Paladin was sitting.

"What a touching moment you had with the Fire Dragon Slayer," he said, slowly clapping as he sat up on the throne. "It's really too bad that the next time either of you see each other again will be on the other side. I hear that the great beyond is such a wonderful place. Only if you haven't sinned, of course. Haven't you killed people before?"

"I might still have red in my ledger, but I've devoted my whole life after that incident to protecting people who can't fight back," I told him, taking slow steps closer to him. "I'm sure that will be taken under consideration when I die at a later date."

"So overly confident that you'll survive to live another day," Paladin said as he finally stood up, using his staff to pull himself to his feet. "I admire that quality even though you are my enemy. It will be strange not to have an opponent quite like you after your death. I guess it will make your defeat all the sweeter."

"Who's the overly confident one now?" I said as Ty took her hint to hide in my shadow. "I'm pretty sure that you're grasping at straws at this point. Don't think that you can get rid of me so easily."

He pointed the staff in my direction and the air around it seemed to glow with that same dark violet light from before. He gave me a deranged grin before asking, "You remember what kind of magic I possess, correct?"

"It's Command Magic that's centered on fear," I said, cautiously observing his every move before I could make mine.

"That's correct," Paladin said. "What I failed to inform you last time was that I can utilize any person's fear, whether it's a present fear or one from the past. All that needs to happen is for that person to be within a one mile radius from me. So… let's say a person had a fear of an extremely devastating demon from his past as a child? I could use it. I can also control its size for it to fit in the space I'm in."

Before my eyes, the dark violet light grew brighter and began to form the shape of a huge monster that towered over me but still could fit on the floor without too much discomfort. Regardless, it was a massive humanoid demon that was dark blue and had a large torso, its lanky arms at its sides that ended in large, scaly hands. It also had large, muscled legs that ended in feet that resembled the feet of a bird with large spikes at the heels. On its head was long mane-like hair that extended all the way down to its waist and it also had a pair of horns that formed from a dark metallic plate on its forehead. It bared its many long pointed teeth at me as it stared down at me with hollow looking eyes. It took me a few seconds before I realized why this monster looked so familiar to me and I gasped as I remembered the story that Gray had told me when I was a kid.

"Deliora…" I whispered in shock.

Deliora roared in anger before sending a punch my way and I dodged it easily. I was thankful that this demon was slow and I was much faster than him, but I heard from Gray that he was practically immortal. I knew deep down that the only way to kill the demon would be to sneak past him and break Paladin's staff. I dodged the punches as they came, trying to jump in between his feet when he kept trying to stomp on me.

"Now, this doesn't seem like a fair fight," I heard Paladin yell. "You're much too fast for him. I just can't allow for my new pet to lose so easily to you."

The dark violet light surrounded Deliora again and he roared loudly. He punched at me and I just barely dodged it this time, feeling the wind whipping past me and I gasped. I saw his maw open before a bright lime green light began charging there. I barely had time to leap to the side before he roared and a Magic Beam shot from his mouth, tearing a massive hole into the floor that had the whole building shuddering from the strain. I could hear a huge explosion as flames rocketed from the hole and I could hear them crackling as they caught fire to things.

"Stop that, Deliora!" Paladin screamed. "We still want to be able to use this place when you're done killing her!"

The demon seemed to listen, although just barely, and it grabbed me before I could dodge it. He lifted me into the air as I thrashed as hard as I could, screaming in outrage when he began to squeeze the life out of me. With every breath, I felt my lungs being compressed more and more and I gasped, still lashing out the best I could when the demon squeezed even tighter. Since I couldn't speak, the only thing I could do was use Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash to turn my body into shadow and slip between the demon's fingers. I landed down on my feet lightly and roared back up at him, making a confused look glint in his hollow eyes. I could see my reflection in his eyes and all I saw was a dark lithe figure with shadows poring off of her, tiny horns poking from her head and her red eyes burning brightly. She had tiny pointed teeth and sharp claws, wings jutting from her back as she gazed up at the demon. I was surprised at my own appearance in the shadows but I pushed back the feeling as I challenged the demon to try and catch me.

With a devious grin, I said, "Come and get some, Deliora!"

Deliora roared in rage as he sent a punch towards me, which I could dodge easily now that I was shrouded in shadows. I toyed with it for a while before I launched myself into the air with a shriek, spreading my wings and clawing out one of his eyes. The demon roared again, this time in pain, as he covered his eye to protect himself from another attack. Now that I had him distracted, I flew down between his legs as he tried to stomp on me again and stopped in front of Paladin long enough to slash his staff completely in half. Paladin yelled in fury as the staff just dropped down to the floor. I turned around to see Deliora scream in agony before he began to disintegrate into thin air. He turned back to glare at me, his eyes trying to burn holes into me before he finally disappeared for good. As I let the shadows dissipate from my body, I turned back around to feel something sharp and cold pressed firmly against my throat.

"You just made a grave mistake, girl," Paladin growled as I slowly turned to face him, seeing a long knife in his hand as he kept it digging into my neck. I felt it slip slightly and my skin stung as a trickle of blood travelled down my neck. "In your shadow form, I wouldn't be able to do this. Now, I'll get to watch as my greatest enemy's lifeblood spurts out onto the ground and the light in her eyes go out for good."

"Do you really think I'm just going to let you kill me?" I asked him, moving closer and feeling the knife slice into my skin a little deeper. "I have people I need to protect and if I die, more will only follow with Etherion. The odds are seriously stacked in my favor, not yours."

"Shut up!" he yelled. "Black Eclipse will reign triumphant over a new world that we will create with Etherion! You're going to be the first death in a long line of them before we succeed! Be proud that you could be a part of this great endeavor. You can look onto this new world from the great beyond and truly know that you were the reason we were able to accomplish our goal."

"It won't happen," I told him. "I won't let you do this. I will defeat you right here and now."

There was no other way to do this. He wasn't going to be stopped. Apologizing to my past self that I would have to break my vow to never kill another soul again, long shadowy claws formed on my fingers and I stabbed them through Paladin's stomach. I felt the hot blood run past my fingers as he gasped, blood trickling past his lips as I slid my claws free. I flicked my hand to get rid of the blood and he dropped to the ground. I heard an alarm blare as the Main Cannon slid back down to this floor and Zeref screamed in pain. I looked down at the ground to see Paladin laughing hysterically as blood gushed from his wounds at a rapid pace.

"You foolish girl," Paladin said weakly, his teeth covered in blood as he spit some of it out onto the ground. "By killing me, you forced a self-destruction protocol in Etherion. You're all going to die and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it! I'll see you in hell, Timara Wyvernia!"

With that, his energy seemed to just leave him and he slumped to the floor, breathing his last breath as the blood stopped. I was completely shocked as I turned my gaze back up to the now glowing Main Cannon, Zeref's screams pounding in my ears as the same thought played out in my mind.

"I did this," I whispered to myself. "I just killed all of my friends…"


	20. Pure Survival

**Hello guys! Our story is slowly drawing to a close! There will be one last chapter and then an epilogue after this. I'll be honest, I'm kind of sad that the story is almost finished. I had a blast writing it. However, there is some good news in all of this. I do plan on writing a sequel. If you want to check that one out later when I finish this story, then be my guest. I thought I would just give you all a head's up now. Now, back to this story. This chapter gets a bit crazy and suspenseful, especially at the beginning. Enjoy! :)**

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**Chapter 20: Pure Survival**

This is it. This is the end. No matter what happened, there was nothing I could do to stop Etherion from self-destructing. Not only that, but I was the reason why it was about to self-destruct in the first place. If only I had just stuck to my childhood vow of never killing again, we might not be in this mess. I would single-handedly end the Fairy Tail guild with the most powerful magic in the history of Fiore.

_Warning! Warning! Etherion will self-destruct in T-minus 60 seconds!_

A disembodied voice that sounded almost mechanical echoed through the room and it only unsettled me more. I couldn't do anything now but wait as I slowly realized that my magic power was running on fumes. Even if I wanted to do something to stop it, I wouldn't have enough magic power to so much as put a shield into place. Even if I tried to grow wings, I would have to free Zeref first and I would never be able to carry him away. The only thing I could do now was accept my fate that I was going to die.

I felt my own shadow ripple and shudder as I watched the Main Cannon sink down to my level on the floor with me. I could see my reflection within it as it glowed in a deceptive comfort, could see my dead expression as I saw Ty land on my shoulder. I could see her yelling something at me, but I was too far gone to listen.

_Warning! Warning! Etherion will self-destruct in T-minus 50 seconds!_

I felt sharp little claws slice through my cheek and I hissed in pain, finally feeling a small amount of life surge through me and I could hear her screams. "Mara, come on!" she cried and I could see the tears streaming down her cheeks in fear as I turned my head in her direction. "We have to do something! We have to do _anything!_ I don't want to die here!"

"There's nothing we _can_ do," I told her lifelessly. "I don't have enough magic to stop it and we can't just leave Zeref here. We have no choice."

She clawed me again and I hissed once more as the pain sent a shiver down my spine. "Stop talking like that!" she screeched. "We're going to live! We _have_ to! No one else can stop Etherion but you! Why else would Black Eclipse have been so persistent to get rid of you?! So stop feeling sorry for yourself and let's find a way to survive!"

_Warning! Warning! Etherion will self-destruct in T-minus 40 seconds!_

As I heard her words and let them sink in, I watched as time seemed to just stop as I closed my eyes and I was soon absorbed in a memory that I hadn't thought about in a decade. My mind wandered back to when I was a child and I had just watched Rogue strike the killing blow on Skiadrum before leaving completely without trying to find me to say goodbye. I ran out from my hiding place behind a large stalagmite and rushed to the prone form of the great dragon that had been like a father to me for longer than I could remember. I kneeled beside his large head and began to heavily cry as I saw his blood pooling around him.

"Timara…" I heard him whisper, opening his eyes slowly as if it took almost all of the energy he had left to do even that much. "You just watched everything, didn't you, little one?"

"Please, Skiadrum, you can't die on me!" I wailed in the pitiful voice of a heartbroken little girl. "You were the one who helped me after those evil men attacked me and I love you! You're like my daddy!"

"I love you, too, little one, but I was going to die eventually," he said to me weakly. "I was very sick and what your brother did was a merciful thing to do for me. It was a gift."

"He did it to take your power!" I screamed as my tears blurred my vision. "I HATE him!"

"Don't say things like that, Timara," he said, a sad look in his eyes. "He did take my power, but not all of it. I still have a gift to impart on you as well."

"I don't want it! I just want you to live and stay with me!"

"I can't do that, little one," Skiadrum told me. "It's just time for me to die and I'm glad he was the one to kill me. It means I get to see the both of you before I pass on. Now, come closer to me, child, so I can give you your gift."

"Ok, Skiadrum," I said sadly, sniffling slightly as I moved closer. I wanted to protest and try to make him agree that he'd live on for me, but I could see that he didn't have much longer to live.

He smiled and said, "For you, my child, your gift is one that you can only use when you're under extreme duress. I am going to hide this memory from you until the time comes when you need to remember." He moved his head closer to me before he began to speak again. "The gift I give to you is something that every Dragon possesses but only a great few impart to their children before their deaths. It is called the Will of the Dragon. Every Will is different and it manifests in its own unique way within each dragon. Mine is a type of magic that has to do with survival. Whenever you reach the point where you're out of magic but are close to dying due to someone or something with high magic and so long as you have the will to keep on living to protect the people you care about, you will absorb that higher magic and turn it into your own. It's a type of Dragon Force when passed on to a Dragon Slayer we have the utmost trust in. Now, I pass my Will onto you." With that, he pressed the tip of his nose to my forehead and I wave of heat spread through me body and soul until I was knocked unconscious by the force of it.

_Warning! Warning! Etherion will self-destruct in T-minus 30 seconds!_

I opened my eyes at the mechanized voice that announced how much time we had left and I felt a low growl escape from my throat. I felt a fire burning through my veins as I saw the light from the Main Cannon getting brighter and brighter with each passing second. I wasn't going to let it end this way. I had people outside who meant the world to me that I needed to protect, even if it meant giving my life to do the job. I refused to die here and now. I was going to stop it.

"Let's do this, Ty," I told her, giving her a determined look. "If you don't want to die, then so be it. I swear to you that you will live on to see another sunrise and do whatever it is you want to do when we leave. I will stop Etherion and live on with you!"

"That's the Mara I know and love!" Ty screamed as she hugged me tightly.

I told her that we needed to pull Zeref down from the wires, even though it would have zero effect on Etherion itself. It wasn't going to stop it from self-destructing, but at least he could be free and be with Ty before I put my plan into motion. I grew wings and flew up to Zeref with Ty flying beside me. Zeref had finally stopped screaming and just looked drained, the hazy look in his eyes just from exhaustion now.

_Warning! Warning! Etherion will self-destruct in T-minus 20 seconds!_

"Timara… leave me," Zeref whispered as he blearily looked at me. "I've caused enough problems already. I powered up Etherion and forced it to be charged quicker than it should be. This is all my fault."

"Don't think that way, my friend," I told him as I began to pull the wires off. "You have nothing to blame yourself for. You are a victim in this just like I was and I was the one who killed Paladin, which was how the self-destruction protocol was engaged in the first place. Now, hush so we can get you down from here."

Before I pulled the last wire free, Ty grabbed him and we flew down to the floor, Zeref sitting down on the hard floor while holding Ty on his lap. "You should have left me," Zeref said sadly, wrapping his arms around Tyger's tiny body to take comfort from her. "You both would be able to escape."

"We would still die, Zeref," I told him. "I can stop it." I could feel my magic sputtering out as the wings on my back flickered, so I flew as fast as I could without falling out of the air. Just as I was completely out of magic power, I landed on the huge crystal of the Main Cannon and wrapped my arms around the top of it to keep my balance.

_T-minus ten seconds, nine seconds, eight seconds…_

This was it. This was the time where I had to step up. I had to fight as hard as I could to save everyone.

_Seven seconds, six seconds, five seconds…_

An alarm went off that must have echoed outside since a roar that sounded almost scared could faintly be heard from where I was. I hugged the top of the crystal even tighter as I pulled myself up a little further, the image of my mate flooding my mind. It was every memory I had with Natsu, starting from when we were kids to the present day. It didn't surprise me that when my life flashed before my eyes that I would see him.

_Four seconds, three seconds, two seconds…_

"Natsu…" I whispered, feeling a surge of life burning through my veins. "I will live!"

_One second… Self-destruct!_

I couldn't even see when I felt the Main Cannon shudder before a huge light exploded from it. As the light passed through me, I felt it burn away any trace of magic power that I had left and I could feel every one of the elements pass through every cell in my body. I let out an inhuman screech as I felt my body failing but I fought back. _No, I must survive this! I will stop Etherion! _I felt a presence in my mind that was so similar to Skiadrum that I wanted to cry, but I held back tears as a deep part of me was unlocked. I felt the life in me soar and I began to absorb Etherion's blast wave, forcing my body to keep soaking up Etherion until the light from the Main Cannon began to dim down. I screamed again as a full feeling pressed into my mind. I felt like I would burst with the amount of magic contained in my body and the crystal looked lifeless as I stood at its tip. I had an insane amount of balance as I stood there on one foot, the skin there barely even touching as I looked down at my partner and Zeref. Both of them looked utterly shocked as they gaped up at me.

"I think you need to look at your reflection before you go anywhere, Mara!" Tyger finally piped up, regaining the ability to speak once more as her eyes shone in wonder.

I slid down the side of the Main Cannon before I grabbed the top to stop myself, looking at my reflection and gasping in surprise. The first thing I noticed was that my eyes had turned bright red, almost the color of blood. They reminded me so much of Ty's that I began to shake a little. Also, around my eyes were dark scales that were blue black and extended down to my cheekbones in an elegant design. The next thing I saw was that my hair was back to being as long as it was before Natsu had left for his three years of training, ending at my waist and it was now a shimmering silver that had strands that almost seemed to sparkle with almost every color in the rainbow. The sparkles reminded me almost of stars burning in the sky and I felt as if they had finally given me the answer that I had so craved in what seemed like forever ago. I was also surprised to see that the scratches from Ty and the cut from Paladin's knife were now completely healed. Expending a small fraction of the magic I had within my body, I formed wings from my back and it was translucent, seeming almost like glass wings that glittered with a different color depending on the light. I flapped them lightly, barely even needing to move them at all as I hovered beside the Main Cannon.

"You keep Zeref company and stay out of the fighting for now, Tyger," I told my partner. "I don't want for you to accidently get caught in the crossfire as I take on Black Eclipse."

"What about Acnologia?" Zeref asked me, finally able to speak as he watched me.

"I told Natsu that I wouldn't interfere with his fight against the Dragon unless he expressly asks for my help. What I can do for him is keep Black Eclipse from trying to help out Acnologia. I think the odds should be even for that fight if I watch his back for him."

Before either of them could say another word, I rocketed out of the hole in the roof and into the sky. I was beginning to feel a massive headache pounding in my skull as the magic power I had amassed fought to be free, so I had to use it in small bursts as I flew as fast as I could to cloud level. I pushed my bangs from my eyes as I looked down at the scene unfolding below me. Fairy Tail had finally knocked out a large amount of Black Eclipse, but there were still so many of them left that covered the valley floor. I watched the sea of dark gray moving in the direction of an enormous dust cloud, shooting magic into the cloud where two growling roars could be heard.

"Well, I can't exactly let them cheat like this," I said to myself, grinning a little before diving down in the direction of the cliff with the dust cloud.

Landing near the edge of the cliff and sending a few large boulders crashing down into the valley, I stood there and watched as the army from Black Eclipse all hesitated when the lightning flashed through the sky and revealed my form. Before any of them could attack, I charged up the magic within me before letting out a Magic Beam similar to the one Deliora used. The Beam was blue black at first as it hit the valley floor and extended all the way to the other cliff, then there was a huge flash as a brilliant light exploded from the ground and screams of agony could be heard before they were wiped out completely. Behind me, I heard the fighting cease and I turned around to see the dust cloud diminishing. What surprised me the most was that there wasn't just one Dragon, but two.

Standing not that far away from Acnologia was a huge clear blue dragon that had large red markings along its sides that reminded me of the tattoo I had on my neck and shoulder. This Dragon had dark eyes and large spikes trailing down its spine. As I was gazing at it, I felt like the Dragon was familiar somehow. It took me a few seconds and then I realized the Dragon looking similar to Igneel in the stories that Natsu told about him. When I saw the blue black marking on his right shoulder, I felt a shock go through me when I knew the Dragon's identity.

"Natsu…?" I asked curiously, taking a step closer as I pressed my wings close to my spine, ignoring the headache that was slowly spiraling out of control.

"Timara?" the blue Dragon asked. Even though it sounded low and guttural, the voice still belonged to my mate. "Timara, what did you do?"

"I stopped Etherion in an extremely unorthodox way," I told him, pressing a hand to my forehead when I felt a spike of pain there.

"You stupid girl!" Acnologia laughed maniacally. "What you just did is going to kill you before I can!"

"I'm not going to die, I'm going to live!" I yelled at him, glaring fiercely as I dropped my hand to my side.

Acnologia immediately stopped his laughing, gazing down at me seriously. "Your Dragon mentor gave you his Will before he died, I see. However, it still won't save you in this case. No one is allowed to absorb that much magic and survive. You'll turn into a pretty little explosion of light and stars soon."

"Not if I can help it," I growled.

"You insolent little brat," Acnologia snarled as he took a few steps closer to me. "I'm going to crush you where you stand."

Before Natsu could jump between us, Acnologia used his Roar on me but I gave him an evil smirk. The Roar never had a chance of hitting me as I conjured a huge shield that looked like glass to reflect it back at him. Acnologia howled in pain as the force of his own Roar hitting him knocked him on his back. Natsu immediately jumped into action, tackling the evil Dragon when it tried to come after me again and he snapped his jaws near his throat.

"Go help the others, Timara!" Natsu yelled. "I've got everything under control here!"

Even though I was reluctant to leave him behind when I knew I could help him, I nodded and did as I was told. He could handle the situation on his own and I would let him have his revenge for his foster mother. Running towards the cliff, I jumped down from it amidst the screams of terror and then spread my wings, using the magic to fly as fast as I could over to the fighting force from Fairy Tail. I landed harder than I meant to, crashing into a few people from Black Eclipse and knocking them out as I hit the ground. I felt two pairs of hands grab me and pull me to my feet, seeing that it was Rogue and Sting.

I noticed that one of my wings was broken, sticking out at a funny angle and I used magic to fix it. I felt Rogue grab either side of my face with his hands and force me to look him in the eyes. "Sister, you need to let go of this magic. Let go of it right now."

"No, I won't," I told him with a fierce determination. "I want to live. I want to protect my friends! I can't do that unless I keep it for now!"

"Timara, it's trying to kill you now as we speak! Let it go!" Rogue yelled.

"I won't do it!" I screamed, closing my eyes as I felt the magic explode from me. I could hear the screams of more people from Black Eclipse and I knew I wiped out even more of them. I opened my eyes again and looked back to see that now half of the army we faced was decimated. The rest ran in terror, doing their best to get as far away from me as they could. I felt the headache ease up marginally from the explosion and I sighed before slumping against Rogue.

I heard a loud roar and I turned around to watch as Acnologia took to the skies, Natsu spreading his wings and following after him. As I watched, I heard a familiar voice call out to me and I saw Ty flying Zeref over to our group. As she set him down on his feet, I saw Natsu speeding up before letting out a huge plume of fire at the other Dragon, which only seemed to make him laugh. I felt the magic from Etherion surge through my veins again and I hunched over as the headache started back up again.

"Do you really think you can defeat me?" Acnologia laughed. "I am the Dragon King and you are just an insignificant Dragon Slayer who happens to have just enough magic to turn into a pseudo-Dragon! You're pathetic and can never beat me! You're just like Diamantina, all bark but no bite!"

"I'll make you pay for that!" Natsu yelled, launching himself headfirst at the Dragon and they began to crash land into the ground.

A huge explosion of dirt was thrown into the air as the two Dragons fought, Natsu getting the upper hand and biting into Acnologia's left shoulder. The Black Dragon yelped in pain before sending his tail upwards and the spikes there stabbed into Natsu's side. Natsu growled past the other Dragon's shoulder, biting even harder when his opponent's tail kept stabbing him. Natsu then stopped biting him as he readied his Roar and I watched as huge crystal shards erupted from his mouth, stabbing through Acnologia's injured shoulder and pinning him to the ground. The Black Dragon bit through the tops of the crystals then pulled his shoulder all the way through them to free himself as he kicked Natsu away from him. Before he could move, Acnologia charged up his Roar and blasted him with it, the blue Dragon going down and not moving.

"Your Igneel was much stronger than you when he decided to fight me after he left you all those years ago," Acnologia laughed. "He tried to kill me to avenge Diamantina, just like you. He soon discovered that it was impossible. So long as I have the will to live, no one can kill me! That's my Dragon's Will!"

"I might not be able to kill you," Natsu said as he got to his feet, shaking a little from the latest blow, "but I can defeat you and make sure you can't attack another person ever again!"

He jumped at The Black Dragon and knocked him to the ground, grabbing him by the neck and I saw his clawed fist go up in flames. The same old Natsu, I thought to myself as he slammed his fiery fist down onto Acnologia's head repeatedly. The other Dragon roared in outrage, managing to get one of his clawed feet underneath Natsu to kick him away again and slice through his other side. The blue Dragon shuddered in pain but didn't make a noise as he stood up on his hind legs. As Acnologia stood up as well, Natsu readied another Roar, only this one was different. It glowed blue and I watched as he used his Roar, what looked to be liquefied crystal shooting past his jaws and splashing onto Acnologia. The Black Dragon hissed when he looked down and saw that he could no longer move his legs. I saw fear in his eyes as Natsu kept spraying the crystal further up on the other Dragon. Natsu stopped his Roar when he reached halfway and we all watched as the crystal slowly froze the rest of Acnologia's body.

"No! This can't be!" Acnologia howled. "I am The Dragon King! I can't be defeated by an insignificant human like you!"

"Even kings can be beaten," Natsu growled at him. "It's just the way of the world. I'm just glad I was the one to defeat you."

I watched as Acnologia howled in anguish before his noises were forced to come to a stop, turning into a huge crystalline Dragon statue. I didn't see what happened next since I felt an intense spike in my mind as the magic within me twisted out of control. I cried out as I sank to the ground, clutching my head with my hands as I let out an inhuman scream. The pain soon radiated to every part of my body and it felt like every cell was about to burst from the excess magic I had contained within me.

"Ty, take her to the Main Cannon and force her to put the magic back!" Rogue yelled. "We'll go with you! Wendy, go over to Natsu and heal his injuries. I bet they're severe now that he's turned back into a human."

"Got it!" I heard Wendy say, Gajeel mumbling something about going with her just in case.

I heard two sets of wings flying off just as Ty picked me up, carrying me the best she could and flying at Max Speed. I screamed again as I had to hold back the magic that threated to erupt from me again, fearing that I might hurt or even kill Ty if I let it out. The spike of pain increased in my mind and I clutched at my head even tighter, sliding my fingers through my silver hair as I closed my eyes as tightly as possible. I was beginning to grasp at straws when I felt someone brush their fingers against my arm lightly. I looked up and saw that it was Sting.

"Just hold on a little longer, ok, Timara?" he told me. "We are almost there and then you can rest once you transfer the magic into the Main Cannon."

I nodded and closed my eyes again with a whimper as I had to fight even harder when the magic tried to slip from my grasp. I felt something trickle down my nose and I opened my eyes in shock, wiping it with my hand and looking down to see that it was blood. The magic was beginning to drain my life-force and I hissed as the mantra in my head kept repeating itself. I'm going to live. I don't care what this magic does to me, but I'm going to live. I watched as we flew up to the main door on the roof and down into the top floor. Ty set me down and I looked up at the enormous crystal that didn't glow anymore. I tried to transfer the magic back to the Main Cannon, but it felt as if it were now stuck within me. I smacked my fist into the floor in frustration just as I saw a figure fly in from the door in the ceiling.

"Timara!" the figure yelled and I saw as it crashed into the floor not that far away that it was Natsu.

I saw him slowly stagger to his feet as he clutched a hand to his right side where blood was seeping past his fingers. I could see the jagged cuts there and knew that was where Acnologia's claws sliced his skin. On his other side were a multitude of stab wounds, some shallow and some deep. I tried to use the magic within me to bandage his wounds, but it was beyond my control and I screeched in pain.

As he hobbled over to me, he growled, "Let it go now, Timara. If you don't, you really are going to die."

"I can't!" I yelled to him. "It won't work for me anymore."

He came closer and crouched down beside me, grasping my chin to make me look up at him. "Listen, I'm here for you. What you need to do is fight it. Fight it and take control of it now!"

I nodded as he let go of my chin and held my hand. I knew he was right and I whimpered as the pain got even worse, so I fought it as hard as I could. It felt like a knife stabbing through my brain and I shrieked as I lashed out at the pain, taking hold of it the best I could. I let out the magic in a constant stream, jumping from my skin and trailing through the air to the Main Cannon. I felt my body shudder as I let the magic drain from me, making the stream even larger now to let out a larger quantity. I kept telling myself that I was going to live no matter what and repeated it over and over in my head until every ounce of magic that didn't belong to me escaped into the air. I watched it float above our heads like a cloud of light until it was sucked into the Main Cannon, all the magic I had absorbed now back in place within the crystal and it lit up like before. It glowed with a comfortingly light before it shivered in midair, then slid downwards to head back into the basement.

I smiled a little, happy that I had saved everyone I cared for. My body and soul still stung from the magic but I didn't feel like I was going to explode at any minute. All of a sudden, I felt a wave of exhaustion pass through me and I slumped to the ground, cracking my head on the floor before anyone could catch me. I could hear Natsu's and Tyger's worried yells as I closed my eyes, sighing a little as the shouting increased.

"What are we going to do with her?" Sting asked. "Is she dead?"

I felt fingers on my wrist as someone felt for my pulse, the familiar warmth led me to believe that it was Natsu. "She's still alive! Her heartbeat is faint, but I can still feel it. She's just sleeping it off, I think."

Even though I wanted to stay awake and tell them to stop being so worried about me, I felt my mind slowly drift away as sleep took hold.


	21. Stable Lives

**Hello to the dedicated fans of this story who have stuck it out this long! Although it breaks my heart, this is the last real chapter before the epilogue. I know, it is indeed sad. Good news is that there will indeed be a sequel and we'll get to see what crazy things Fairy Tail manages to get into next since they can never seem to stay out of trouble. But their story wouldn't be so interesting if they did avoid all of the craziness. Anyway, enjoy the latest chapter!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Stable Lives**

I felt like I was perpetually locked within a dream. No matter what I did, I couldn't wake myself so instead I just stayed within the nightmare. I would see images or feel pain, even hear people speaking. I figured that I must be delusional as my mind drifted to memory in the past.

It was a moment in time after Natsu found Happy and before I became an S-Class Wizard. It was during the day of the Harvest Festival and Makarov had asked me to make a few shadow animals for the Fantasia Parade later that night. It had been a long time since I had done anything like that, so I decided that I needed some practice. I went over to the corner of the room where the shadows were the thickest and gathered them into the shape of a dog as a test run. I heard noises behind me as if someone cleared their throat and I turned around to see Natsu and Gray, a tiny blue kitten with wings hovering over their heads.

"Hey, whatcha doing?" Natsu asked me curiously, tilting his head to the side as he tried to look past me. When I didn't say a word in response to his question, he sighed. "So you still won't talk to me?"

"Don't take it personally, Natsu, she doesn't talk to anyone here," Gray said, patting him on the shoulder before walking off. "Later, Shadow!"

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Gray's retreating back, not thrilled with the nickname he had given me. "One of these days," Natsu said quietly to me, "I will make you talk to me and I'll know your name."

I glanced up at him and saw his silent determination, never knowing anyone as persistent as he was. Rogue hadn't even been that way. After a while of staring at me, he turned around and went to go be with Lisanna. I heard footsteps and turned to see Mirajane and Erza approaching me. I happened to be friends with them both, making sure not to pick a side whenever they decided that they were going to fight with each other.

"Well, well, look at that," Mira said as she crossed her arms, giving me a knowing smirk. "Little Natsu has a bit of a crush on you." I refused to speak, just shaking my head a bit to signal that I disagreed. "Come on, Shadow, he is infatuated with you. He is determined to hear you speak, even if it's just once." This time, I bared my tiny fangs at her at the use of my nickname.

"Don't get all angry when we call you Shadow," Erza said with a sigh, placing a hand on her forehead in exasperation. "If you'd just let us know your name, we wouldn't have to find something to call you."

"It makes you an easier target to pick on as well when you can't argue," Mira laughed, an evil grin on her face. She pinched my cheek and then walked off with Erza following behind her, telling her that it was uncalled for to do that to me. I rubbed my stinging cheek, glaring after them before going back to practicing.

That night, I was assigned to the same float as Natsu and Happy, which he would be doing a fire breathing act while I made exotic shadow animals that the children could pet that walked beside our float. After that, we'd throw candy to the children once we felt like our magic was getting low. About halfway through the Fantasia Parade, we decided to give it a break and sat next to each other to toss candy at the smiling children. I was absolutely fascinated by the whole night, wishing that I could watch it one day in the future.

As Natsu gave Happy some candy to throw on either side of us, he asked, "Have you ever seen the Fantasia Parade before this?" I shook my head and he gave me a huge smile. "Me neither! It's my first time to see it, too! I heard that it was a lot of fun and now I can see why! Maybe next year we can watch it from the sidelines together!"

For a while, we kept throwing the candy until the float jerked to a stop. I wobbled on the edge and fell off of it, nearly hitting the ground when Natsu reached out and grabbed my hand. He pulled me up and set me back down before the float could move again. I couldn't tell in the semi darkness, but I thought that he might be blushing.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking away from me and avoiding eye contact entirely.

Deciding then and there that it was time, I spoke up for the first time to someone in Fairy Tail besides the guild master. "Yes, I'm fine," I said lightly, my soft unused voice just loud enough to be heard over the cheering crowd. "Thank you, Natsu."

He looked extremely surprised at finally hearing my voice, but the next moment he grinned, looking so happy and excited I thought he might yell in joy. He talked to me for the rest of the night as we threw candy to the children, occasionally I would speak up as well and his wide grin would make a reappearance. After that night, I would sporadically talk to him again when other people weren't there to listen.

I felt my consciousness slowly drift to the surface, just enough that I could hear and feel but I still couldn't wake myself. My body felt so heavy and stiff, pain seeming to just be a dull ache and my head was what hurt me the most. Next to my right side, I could feel a soft tiny body curled up next to my and purring loudly. It took me a little while, but I could feel a familiar warmth and that someone was holding my hand.

_Natsu,_ I said in my mind, trying to fight the exhaustion and wake up to see him, but I just couldn't do it.

I heard a noise out in the hallway, two sets of footsteps approached and then the door opened as they walked in. "Natsu, Ty, I'm back!" I heard a somewhat cheery voice say and I could tell that it was Wendy. I could sense that she wasn't her normal happy self, even that the room had a melancholy atmosphere about it. "Zeref showed me the way since you all practically live here with her."

"I figured I should be the one to do so since it doesn't look like either of you are willing to leave her side," Zeref said, moving closer only to have Natsu let out a growl at him.

"You get back," he said. "No one is allowed near her except for Ty, Wendy, and me."

"Don't forget Happy and Carla, too, Natsu," Wendy informed him and he agreed. I could hear her footsteps get closer and then felt her dainty hand on my forehead. "She's in a bit of pain right now, but I can take that away. It's nothing serious. I think that she might wake up soon, so please don't worry. You should get some rest, too."

"I won't until she wakes for me," he said tiredly, a hidden tone in his voice that said there was no point in arguing with him.

I began to feel a chill on my skin as I felt the magic from Wendy's healing spells seep into me, then an easing warmth travelled through my body and I inwardly sighed as I felt the dull ache finally leave me. After a few seconds of listening in on their conversation, I felt myself drifting back into unconsciousness and fell asleep once more.

* * *

Blearier than last time, I felt myself waking and this time I could actually open my eyes, my vision blurry and I had to blink rapidly to clear it since my limbs felt too heavy to move just yet. My head was turned in the direction of a chair that was occupied by Natsu, who was still holding my hand. He had finally crashed and was hunched over with his head on his arms, his cheek resting on my hand as he slept. I heard a gasp and I saw Ty stand up, gaping at me with a mix of surprise and joy on her face. With a squeak of joy, she jumped at me and wrapped her arms around my neck the best she could, hugging me tightly as she began to cry. I wrapped my free arm around her and pressed my cheek to hers.

I felt Natsu stir, lifting his head up a little but keeping his eyes closed. He looked so exhausted that he had dark circles under his eyes that looked like bruises, almost as if he had been in a bad fight. As Ty settled herself further up on my shoulder, I used the hand that had been on Ty's back and moved it over to brush Natsu's bangs from his eyes. I felt him sleepily lean into my touch before he froze, letting go of my hand to rub his eyes quickly and then opened them slowly. He gasped in shock, just staring at me for a few seconds before he did the same thing that Ty had done. He practically jumped at me, throwing his arms around me as he hugged me to him tightly. I felt the breath leave my lungs with a whooshing noise and I had to tap his shoulder to get him to let up a little.

"You really are ok," he whispered over Tyger's cries. "I was so worried about you, Timara."

"I know and I'm sorry," I told him. "I didn't mean to worry either of you so. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course!" Ty wailed. "You're my family! I would always forgive you, no matter what!"

I wrapped one arm around Natsu and the other around Ty as Natsu finally said, "So long as you promise to never do anything that reckless. I don't ever want to see you like this again."

"I promise," I said with a wan smile. We stayed like that for what felt like a long time when I sensed that something was missing. I could quite put my finger on it at first until I realized that I couldn't feel the shadows anymore. In fact, I couldn't feel my magic at all. "What happened to my magic?" I asked, feeling a bit worried that I might have lost it forever.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Natsu told me. "Gramps put a cap on your magic power so that you couldn't use it right now. He was worried that after you absorbed Etherion, you might not have control of your Dragon Slayer Magic and didn't want anyone to get hurt on accident. When you feel up to it, we'll go to Fairy Tail and can get the cap removed. Now, get some more rest. I'll make you some food later."

"I'll get rest as long as you do, too," I said.

He gave me a tired smile before he lay on his side next to me, wrapping an arm and a leg around me before seeming to just pass out instantly. Ty crawled up onto the pillow and fell asleep as well, so I turned over onto my side facing Natsu and rested my forehead against his chest before passing out. When I awoke again, I could tell that Natsu had been up for a while, just rubbing my back absentmindedly while I was asleep. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, seeing that the bruises under his eyes from lack of sleep looked a bit better now. I reached a hand up and placed it on his cheek, carefully and slowly rubbing the bruised skin below his eye as he leaned into my touch.

"How long had I been unconscious after I transferred Etherion's magic back into the Main Cannon?" I asked him curiously.

"About three days," he said softly, pressing his lips to my forehead lightly before moving back to his previous position. "It took a pretty large toll on you. Thankfully, Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale showed up on Christina. I guess they tried to hurry to our aide for the fight, but instead they carried out the wounded to Fairy Tail. It took two trips just to get everyone back to Magnolia and we were on the first one. I didn't want you to be around so many people in the infirmary, so I carried you back here to your mansion. We've had a lot of visitors but I wouldn't let anyone get too close except for Wendy."

"Not even my own brother?" I asked him.

He looked a bit uncomfortable as he said, "About that… Rogue and Sting were waiting for you to wake up so that they could say goodbye. They want to head back to Sabertooth soon since they've been away for so long."

"Oh…" I said sadly. "We've been fighting with them by our side for so long that I almost forgot that they're from an entirely different guild. I'll miss them deeply."

He got up from the bed and pulled me with him, wrapping his arms around my waist when my knees buckled and threatened to make me sink to the floor. "Are you ok?" he asked me, a worried expression on his face as I heard Ty stir.

"I'm fine, my body just isn't used to the fact that I had been unconscious for days," I told him as I lightly pushed him away and stood on my own. I felt my stomach grumble uncomfortably and I let out a soft hiss. My head hurt as a pounding headache caught my attention. I slumped forward as the room began to spin all of a sudden, letting out a sigh as I closed my eyes. Natsu made a noise of surprise before catching me again and he groaned a bit.

"I thought you said you were fine!" he grumbled, glaring a little. "You know, this reminds me of the time I ate a Lacrima crystal. It had been infused with the magic from Etherion, too, and that was how I was able to use Dragon Force. You took the brunt of it though so that must be why you were asleep for three days."

"Did you feel sick afterwards?" I asked him.

"Very sick," he said, shuddering at the memory. "If I had known that was what you were going to do, I would have found a way to stop you."

"You wouldn't have been able to stop me anyway, Natsu," I said as I lightly patted him on the cheek.

As Ty hopped down from the bed and walked over to me, I pulled away from his arms and began to walk towards the door, feeling wobbly the entire way. With a frustrated sigh, Natsu walked beside me and led me arm in arm outside to the hallway then down the stairs. As we took the last step, Sting and Rogue, along with their two partners, walked out of the living room and into the main hall with us. Ty ran over to the other two cats, a slight smile on her face as the two Sabertooth Dragon Slayers looked me over.

"You don't look so good, sister," Rogue said to me. "Now you know why you shouldn't just absorb magic that doesn't belong to you so you can enter Dragon Force."

"You're right," I told him, opting out of telling him about Skiadrum passing his Dragon's Will to me. I figured I wouldn't want to burden him with it when he was just about to leave. "I won't be doing that any time soon, I promise."

"That must mean you're a First Generation Dragon Slayer, unlike your brother," Sting said with an amused grin. "Maybe you should get a Dragon Lacrima implanted and you could use Dragon Force as easily as we can."

"That's a really good idea," Rogue said. "I never could figure out why you didn't have one implanted like I did."

"Sorry, boys, but that's just not for me," I told them, rolling my eyes a bit. "I prefer the challenge of attaining Dragon Force. As for why I never had one implanted, I was a child and the process I was told about frightened me. I had zero trust in people I didn't know, remember? I certainly wouldn't allow a stranger to perform something like that on me."

"It's ok, you're perfect the way you are," Natsu said with a big smile, infecting me with his happiness.

After talking amongst ourselves for a while longer, they finally decided that it was time to leave. I didn't like the thought since I was so used to having my brother around, even Sting, who was almost like a brother as well. I wanted to give them a hug before they left, but every time I moved to do so Natsu would growl before grabbing my hand and yanking me back to his side. After the third time, I let out my own chilling growl that only had him grinning, finally letting me go as he snickered softly. I hugged Sting quickly, moving away before he could try something to anger Natsu. Instead, he reached up and ruffled my hair, giving me a bit of a sad look that I had never seen as part of his expressions before.

"I never did get the chance to tell you this, but I was really upset when I heard you'd nearly been killed by Acnologia when we were captured," Sting said. "I was even upset when you fell into that coma recently for three days straight. Believe it or not, I feel like you're my little sister as well and I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."

Next, I walked over to my brother, throwing my arms around his neck and hugging him tightly as he did the same. His body shook almost imperceptibly and I was shocked by this. I guess he really didn't want to leave me yet either, but knew that he needed to for his guild. I knew better than to ask him to leave Sabertooth and join Fairy Tail with me. Sabertooth was where he belonged, just like Fairy Tail was the same for me. This was the inevitable time where we had to part ways.

"You're my sister," he whispered. "I don't like the thought of leaving and being so far away after we just formed a normal sibling relationship. I'm going to miss your stubborn personality."

"I'll miss your stupid, bone-headed attitude towards my ideas," I said with a laugh. "We'll visit each other as soon as we can, ok? And if anything happens to one of us, we'll send word for the other one to rush to our side."

I pulled away a bit and brushed his bangs from his right eye, making him glare slightly at my action but he nodded at my words. I hugged him again before taking a couple steps back to Natsu. I happened to look down at our cats, Happy had now joined them and was talking to Lector as Frosch and Ty talked. Little Frosch looked like he was blushing a little at something Ty had said and she was grinning deviously. As Sting said it was time to go, Frosch quickly kissed Ty on the cheek before running over to Rogue with the biggest grin on his face. Lector made his way over to Sting as they all left and we waved goodbye to them, Ty and I feeling a bit sad to watch them go. I leaned my head against Natsu's shoulder and sighed dejectedly.

"I'll try to make you some soup and then we'll go to Fairy Tail," Natsu said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me to the kitchen. "That should keep your mind off of those two for a while."

I was surprised to see Zeref there already, a bowl of chicken noodle soup waiting for me as he gave me an embarrassed smile. "I figured that this was the least I could do for you after you helped me in my time of need. I'd say we're even now," Zeref said to me.

I slurped down a spoonful of the soup then looked back at Zeref with a sad feeling deep in my gut. "What do you plan on doing next?" I asked him curiously.

"I'm not sure," he said quietly. "I thought I might go back to Tenrou Island now that I'm no longer being hunted, but I have this strange feeling that makes me reluctant to do so. I'll stay for a few days more and try to figure out what this feeling is before I make any decisions yet."

I felt a wave of relief pass through me at his words that he'd stay for a while longer. I didn't want yet another person who was important to me to step out of my life, even though I would be able to see him again once every year for the S-Class Promotion Trials. I gulped down all of my soup before I got up, rinsed my bowl, and walked out of the room with a pensive Tyger in my arms. Natsu ran to catch up with me, Happy running after him as well, and we left the house entirely.

"You're upset by this turn of events," he said as he walked beside me down the path towards Magnolia. "You feel like everyone is just leaving you all of a sudden. But it's not true."

"I know, but that's what it seems like to me."

"We're still here with you," Ty said, breaking out of her trance to look up at me with a smile. She then looked down at the blue cat walking next to Natsu. "Right, Happy?"

"Aye!" he yelled, jumping a little.

When we reached the gate, the man who truly owned my mansion ran out and opened it for us, saying that he was glad I turned out ok. He mention that he opened the gate for Natsu that night when I was unconscious and that he was really worried about my welfare when he finally heard what had taken place. I thanked him gratefully before he went back inside his house while we headed to Fairy Tail. The walk back was spent in silence as I just looked at all the people walking past us and stared at a few stalls where vendors were selling trinkets or food. I saw a necklace that reminded me of the one my father had given me and I reached up to rub my thumb against the ruby pendant around my neck.

Finally, we made it to the courtyard outside of the guild's building and parted ways as Natsu went to go talk to someone who had called his name. I wandered inside in a bit of a daze, barely even registering anything that was going on around me. I found an empty table near a shadowy corner and lamented the fact that my magic was sealed for now. I kept trying to use the magic absentmindedly, just to create a small creature or object of some kind only to have to remind myself that it was impossible. Ty had flown off somewhere a long time ago and I stared into the shadowy corner. I distantly noticed a fight breaking out in the background, only paying any attention to it when something was thrown past my head that just barely missed me. Turning around to verbally abuse the culprit, I saw that Natsu was standing a few feet away with a worried look on his face, no longer even paying attention to the fact that he had Gray in a headlock. Gray struggled to get free, only to discover that if he kept at it he would choke himself. He finally just tried to pry Natsu's arm away from his neck instead.

"Are you really alright, Timara?" Natsu asked me.

Before I could answer, Cana came over with two wine glasses in hand and a huge wooden pitcher. She sat across from me and gave Natsu a smile before saying, "Don't worry about her, Natsu. I've got this covered."

He didn't look convinced and I had a feeling that he'd be keeping an eye on us regardless, but he nodded and dragged Gray away with him before the fight broke out again. Cana poured us both a glassful of the red liquid in the pitcher and handed me a glass before she drank hers within seconds. I sniffed the contents of mine and could smell the heavy scent of alcohol within it.

"You've got to be kidding me if you think getting me drunk is going to help," I told her as I shook my head.

"Speaking of that," a gravelly voice said beside me and I looked down to see the guild master, who was giving Cana a stern look, "don't get Timara drunk. A few glasses of that wine are ok, but I don't want one of the few civilized people in this guild to get out of hand. I don't think this hall can take it."

"Oh, it's not like she can use her magic to destroy the place if she gets a bit too tipsy," Cana said as she waved his words off. "I think this would be the perfect time to get her to loosen up a bit. She acts much too like that brother of hers."

"Hey, that's not true!" I told her.

I had a witty retort in store for her, but Makarov stopped me by saying, "No, Cana, you still can't get her drunk. Now, as for your magic, Timara, I'll keep them sealed just for today and then tomorrow you can get them back. I just didn't want anything bad to happen to you while you were unconscious."

"I understand, master," I told him as I nodded respectfully. Cana poured herself a second glass as Makarov walked away, then gave me a smile.

"Drink that," she said as she pointed at the untouched glass of wine still in my hand. "Prove that you aren't as stuffy as your brother."

"You're on," I said with grin.

It was disgusting at first and I nearly spit it out, but after a few sips I was used to it. She poured me another glass when I was finished, she was already on her fifth glass herself, and then we began to play a bit of a drinking game. Even then, it wasn't a true drinking game. We borrowed a hat and took a deck of cards, then began to try to shoot the cards with a flick of our wrist into the hat itself. If we missed, there wasn't a penalty. We were just bored and would occasionally drink from the wine glass in between turns.

After my third glass, my head began to feel fuzzy and all of my card throws began to miss, so I forfeited the game. Cana laughed, a slight flush on her cheeks from being tipsy since she had drunk way more than I had, and called me a loser before standing up to ruffle my hair. She then declared herself the card champion before walking over to Mira to get another pitcher of wine. Mira told her that she was cut off, then went back to cleaning something while Cana snuck some alcohol away without her even noticing. I heard some footsteps behind me and saw that it was my mate, who was giving me a stern look.

"Hiya, Natsu!" I giggled, leaping from the bench I was sitting on and tackling him to the ground. He nearly smacked his head into the floor and it only made me giggle more. I kissed him quickly before he could scold me for my actions and then scrambled to my feet so I could run away from him.

"Get back here!" he yelled as he took off after me. Gray and Loke tried to grab me, but I side stepped them both and ran to the door.

"Cana, I thought I told you not to get her drunk!" Makarov yelled to her as she took huge gulps straight from the pitcher.

"Oh, she's fine," Cana said as she smacked the now empty pitcher on the counter. "She's not _that_ drunk. If anything, I'm worse than she is."

I didn't hear the rest of the conversation as I ran out of the guild hall entirely with Natsu on my heels. I might have been tipsy, but I was still speedy without my magic and I kept a five foot lead as I ran about the city. I laughed when I caught sight of the South Gate Park, not even realizing that I had made it this far until I saw the large tree right in the center of the park itself. I yelped in surprise when I felt a heavy weight crash down on me and pin me to the ground once he flipped me onto my back so he could look at me.

"Now what was that all about?" he asked, a frown on his face as he stared into my eyes.

"I don't know, I just felt like it!" I told him with a devious grin. "And let it be known that if I could use my magic at all right now, you wouldn't have been able to catch me whatsoever."

"Oh, is that so?" he said with a smirk. "So in other words, I should take advantage of this moment right now while I have the chance."

Before I could say yes, he had already kissed me hard, letting out a satisfied growl when I kissed him back. We kissed each other for a while before he stopped, pulling away and getting to his feet so that he could pull me up with him. We walked around Magnolia for the rest of the day, just enjoying each other's company until sunset when we went back to Fairy Tail to get Ty and Happy. After that, we went to sleep early so I could get up before dawn to rush back to Fairy Tail to get my magic unsealed. In celebration, I put on a bit of a show with the shadows, deciding that a party was just what we needed to revel in the fact that we were all still alive.


	22. Epilogue

**Hey, all! Thanks to everyone who has read up to this far! You're all awesome! This has been a fun adventure and even though I'm sad that this story is over, it was still great and I don't regret it. Let it be known that the epilogue is a bit on the longer side than normal because I got a bit carried away. And if you want to know the name of the sequel so you can look for it when it comes out, it will be at the very end of the chapter. Enjoy the last update for Dark Dragon of Fairy Tail!**

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**Epilogue**

_One year later…_

Peace had finally settled over Fiore after the war with Black Eclipse and Acnologia. A lot of things had changed, but most stayed the same as well. For instance, after I had woken from my coma, the entire guild begged and harassed Natsu and I for two months straight to just drop the charade and finally get married. No matter how much arguing we held against them that we didn't need to since we were mates, we finally caved and gave in to their demands. The day of the Harvest Festival on October 15th, we tied the knot near the lake beside my mansion and I officially changed my last name from Wyvernia to Dragneel, regardless of how much I fought teasingly with Natsu beforehand that I wanted to keep it the same. What surprised me the most was the fact that Natus and Gajeel worked together to create the ring, Natsu making a sapphire that seemed to secretly hide a small flame within it and Gajeel creating the band itself that had intricate designs along the side. I hugged them both when I found out, making Natsu growl and pull me away from the other Dragon Slayer.

That night, instead of taking part in the Fantasia Parade, we picked out a spot on a rooftop that was high enough that we could see the whole parade but low enough to see each and every detail. I had promised him a long time ago that I would watch the Fantasia Parade with him one year and now I could finally keep it. I sat beside him as he wrapped an arm around me to pull me closer and we enjoyed the sights before us until it was time for us to head back to my mansion for some alone time. I had never been so happy in my entire life as I had when I stayed up with him all night.

That next day, Sorceror's Weekly discovered that we had just married each other and sent a reporter down to do a story on us. Even though I was tired and sore from our late night activities, I still let them take our picture for the front page and their first story before we left on our trip. We decided to visit my brother for a day at the village that was between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth before heading to Akane Resort since one of our wedding presents from Lucy, who was still trying to get back in my good graces, were tickets to go there.

When I saw Rogue, who happened to bring Sting along, he actually seemed happy for me. Sting, on the other hand, pretended to be hurt by my decision to marry Natsu and sulked for the rest of the day. We had a makeshift party before we rested for the night, then parted ways the next morning. We made our way to Akane Resort, where I tormented Natsu to no end by dragging him on a roller coaster. His motion sickness instantly kicked in, no matter how many times I laughed and told him that a roller coaster technically wasn't transportation. All he did was grumble mean things about me while trying not to be sick while the ride was in motion. When it was sadly over with, he told me that he was never going on a roller coaster with me again because I got too much enjoyment from his pain, which I informed him with a smile that it wasn't true at all. We even tried out some gambling that night, Natsu making me his Lady Luck even though we were supposed to be competing to see who could win the most. Surprisingly enough, I was the one who lost that night, both of our partners teasing me for it the entire time.

The rest of the days at Akane Resort were spent at the beach since I couldn't drag him on any more rides. We lounged out on the sand, enjoying the sun and sometimes taking a nap. When it got too hot for me, I would go jump in the water and swim, splashing Natsu and forcing him to give chase. We would play out in the water for hours before heading back to the beach to relax some more. It was a pretty lazy vacation and it was a memory I still cherish.

A few weeks after we came back from our vacation, I made an important discovery that shocked the whole guild. One morning, I woke up extremely early to discover that something about me just felt… different. The next thing I knew, I was immediately feeling nauseous and had to run to the bathroom to throw up. After I was done, I rinsed out my mouth with water from the sink, flushed the toilet, and was immediately so tired that I fell asleep next to the bathroom wall. When Natsu woke up and found me passed out still, he immediately carried me to Fairy Tail and demanded that Makarov help me. It was around that time that I woke up and just knew without a doubt what was different about me now. I immediately looked up at Natsu and told him that I was pregnant. He looked shocked yet happy at my proclamation, hugging me tighter to him and resting his forehead against mine as he smiled.

Makarov sent for Porlyusica to confirm this fact, who did just that but glared at everyone but me the entire time. She congratulated me and then immediately left, telling Makarov that it better be an actual emergency next time if she is sent back here. The guild threw a huge party for us that lasted all day and night. This was yet another fond memory I had from the year that had passed.

A few months later when I began to actually look pregnant, I was forced to stop taking jobs for the guild by Makarov and Natsu, so to circumvent their decision I worked with Mira to take care of the Fairy Tail Building. I wasn't allowed to take place in the 24-Hours Endurance Road Race so to keep me happy, Makarov and I collaborated to come up with the punishment for the loser. Due to that turn of events, no one wanted to lose since they had a feeling that I would make the punishment sick and twisted. We weren't sure how it happened, but we had another year where the same four people came in last. The losers of this race were Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, and Jet. The punishment was that I used them all as my workhorses all day, however I saw fit. Neither of them looked very happy as I forced them to clean the guild hall after a particularly bad brawl and then my mansion.

I was even forced out of going to the S-Class Promotion Trials, which Natsu had been chosen to be an S-Class Candidate. I was told that I shouldn't fight like a wild woman when I was soon to have a baby and no matter how much pouting or begging I did would change that fact. I was, however, allowed to go with them for moral support as long as I stayed with Makarov the entire time while Natsu competed. After it was all said and done, Natsu became an S-Class Wizard and we headed home. Even Zeref, who had left to come back to Tenrou Island for a few months after the war with Black Eclipse, decided that he would come back for the baby to be born with a friend of his. It turned out that Mavis Vermilion, the long dead first guild master of Fairy Tail, had an Ethereal body and was pretty much haunting Tenrou Island. She was bored of the island and wanted to come back with Zeref to see how her guild was doing.

Now during the present day, I was heavily pregnant and due any day to give birth. I knew for a fact without having any doctors around that I was having a baby girl and no one was going to change my mind about that fact. A mother just knows these things. Every morning, I woke Natsu to a stream of curses as I tried to roll out of bed, feeling like a turtle flipped over onto its shell and that only made me even angrier. Whenever he tried to help me, I would growl and then snap my teeth at his fingers, once biting him hard on accident and drawing blood. I grabbed a black dress from the dresser since dresses were all I could really fit into right now and changed, pulling the thing on and adjusting the straps on my shoulders. I brushed my hair free from knots, noting that my hair was pretty long since I stopped cutting it a year ago. It went down my back until the ends reached the top of my Fairy Tail mark. I adjusted the dress over my stomach so the ends of the dress dangled down above my ankles, feeling the baby kick a little and making me smile. I went over and woke up Natsu, who immediately sat up and pressed his lips to my stomach before pulling away with a smile.

"One of these days, she's going to kick you when you do that," I laughed.

"Our baby is definitely a fighter," he said with a grin. "We'll have to train him so he can beat Gray easily."

"I've told you a thousand times, our baby is a girl!" I told him, poking him in the chest and making him fall backwards on the bed.

He laughed at my stern expression before saying, "I know that, but it's so much fun to tease you!"

I let out a frustrated growl as he laughed again, picking up my sleeping cat and waking her in the process. I wrapped my arms around her and carried her out of the room, giggling a little when she sat down on my swollen stomach. The baby loved Tyger already, kicking at a constant pace at my ribs whenever Ty sat on me when we walked around. Natsu woke up Happy and they both ran after us.

"Ty, don't sit there like that," Natsu said with a frustrated sigh. The moment I whipped around to bare my fangs at him, he backed up away from me with his hands in front of him to show he meant no harm.

"Tyger can do as she pleases," I told him with a glare before walking to the stairs.

I was thrilled that there was a railing that I could hold onto as I walked down the stairs since I refused to give up my independence while I was pregnant. I walked down into the living room to see four people waiting for us, two of which had an amused grin on their faces. Lounging in the chairs near the fireplace were Sting and Rogue, their partners sitting on their laps as they watched us enter the room. On the sofa opposite the one in front of the window were Zeref and Mavis. Regardless of the fact that I wanted to stand so I didn't have to deal with trying to force my body up, Natsu made me walk over to the couch in front of the window and sit down next to him, our cats taking the floor in front of our feet.

"So, Natsu, I heard you had an eventful night," Sting said as he leaned back further in the chair, throwing his arms on the back of the chair itself.

"I don't think I would call it that," Natsu grumbled, shooting a glare at me and for the first time I noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

"I really am sorry," I told him sheepishly, avoiding eye contact as I smiled a little.

"What happened last night?" Mavis asked me curiously. She had temporarily given the two Sabertooth Dragon Slayers a leather bracelet to put on that was infused with her magic so that they could see her, figuring it would save us all a lot of time explaining what she said to them.

I decided that I might as well explain the happenings of the night to her since Natsu looked too miffed to do it and Sting would exaggerate it to epic proportions. In the middle of the night, I happened to wake up to my stomach growling like a wild beast and knew I needed food. However, I had a craving for something that was a bit unconventional at this time of night. More than anything, I wanted deer jerky and I was going to have it. I came up with a crazy plan to go hunting on my own and somewhat sneakily got out of bed without Natsu waking. After that, I snuck out of the house and into the forest before anyone noticed that I was gone. I found a herd of deer in a meadow and spotted the largest deer, deciding right from the start that he was going to be my snack. Nothing was going to stop me from catching that deer and I burst from my hiding spot, using my magic to bound after it and then making a shadowy rope to take it down.

It seemed dazed when I caught it, letting me drag it behind me back to the mansion without too much of a struggle. I saw Zeref standing outside the front door with a worried look on his face and demanded that he help me drag it inside. We got it into the living room and were debating on how best to kill it, whether it should be done with his magic or mine, when Natsu heard the deer stamping about in fear. He came downstairs, froze at the sight of us both with the deer, then sighed before walking over to me. I told him that once we killed the deer, he could turn it into jerky for me with his flames since that's what I really wanted right now. Instead, he grabbed the rope attached to the deer, led the poor creature to the front door, and then released it back into the wild. I yelled at him, using my magic to run at him surprisingly faster than he could see and sending a punch at his jaw. I wasn't as fast as I used to be though since he dodged it easily and pinned my arms to my sides, waiting for me to calm down a bit before releasing me. The rest of the night was spent with Natsu and I arguing, occasionally a fight breaking out for a few seconds before he could pin me long enough to get me to calm down again.

Mavis giggled, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes crinkled at the edges with her mirth. "So you really caught a deer and brought it back home?"

"I'm nothing if not determined," I told her with a smile while Natsu huffed.

"That's a huge understatement," he said under his breath as I heard Sting laugh loudly.

"This is why I like your sister, Rogue!" the White Dragon Slayer said to my brother. "She somehow became even more spirited than she already was. I blame it on the baby."

"So what are you going to name him?" Rogue asked me. "Sting and I have been here for an hour and no one will tell us."

"First of all, shut your face," I told him with a growl as he smiled a little. "This baby is a girl. Second, Natsu and I are the only ones who know what her name is going to be and you'll all find out when she is born."

They sighed but nodded, not wanting to bother arguing with me anymore. I figured it was time to go, Natsu getting to his feet much faster than me and helping me stand as well, making sure I had my balance before we left for Fairy Tail. As I looped my arm through his, not bothering with fighting him about it for the third day in a row, he led me out of the house with our partners in tow and down the path towards Magnolia. He kept his gaze on the path ahead of us, occasionally looking back to me to see if I was tired out yet before looking back towards town.

"We should stay at a hotel in Magnolia for a while until the baby comes," he told me. "I don't like the thought of you walking all the way to Fairy Tail from here."

"I think you're just delusional from lack of sleep," I said.

"I am not!" he said grumpily. "I'm being serious, Timara. What if you go into labor while at the mansion?"

"Guess I'll be flying myself to the hospital since I refuse to let Ty carry me."

"You will not fly yourself to the hospital! You might have a bad contraction in midair and focus on that instead of your magic," Natsu informed me. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you or our unborn child."

"You're tired and overprotective, even more so now that I'm pregnant," I told him.

"I think I have a right to be overprotective when my pregnant wife insists on sneaking out of the house to go hunt down deer!" he yelled. "I'm going to get a bracelet with bells attached and strap it to you so I can know while I'm asleep when you try to sneak out on me!"

"I already told you, I just wanted jerky," I grumbled.

"I can't wait until those crazy cravings you have go away."

We walked the rest of the way in silence, both of us irritated with the other as we approached the gate into Magnolia. The man who owned the mansion came over and unlocked the gate for us, noticing that we both looked angry and giving me a smile. He asked what the matter was and I told him about the craving I was having, which he immediately ran into the house and brought out a baggy of jerky for me. I grinned and hugged him the best I could before going back over to Natsu, digging into the baggy and pulling out a strip. I gnawed on one piece the rest of the way to Fairy Tail, now content that I could get one craving out of the way. Natsu just shook his head, grinning a little when I snapped my teeth at him for trying to steal a strip of jerky from me. I ripped a piece in half and handed it to him instead.

When we walked inside, he kissed my cheek quickly before walking over to Gray for their daily insult match. I kept gnawing on the jerky as I walked over to the counter where Mira and Makarov were talking. They both turned to look at me and laughed a little at my latest craving. I walked behind the counter where Mira was standing, only to have Makarov yell at me.

"You are not going to be working back there anymore, Timara!" he told me. "I can't have a pregnant lady who looks about to burst standing behind a counter all day."

"Oh, for the love of—" I started to say before I glared at him. "Fine, I will take a few breaks, but you aren't stopping me from working! You already banned me from doing fun stuff like taking jobs, so you're not taking this away from me!"

"The moment I see that you're tired, you take that break," Makarov said. "If I have to bring Natsu over to force you into that break, then so be it."

Mira turned to me and smiled. "Don't worry, Timara! I've got it covered! Now, can I feel the baby kick?"

I nodded and she placed her hand on my stomach, waiting for a few seconds before the baby lightly kicked her hand. She giggled a bit and let go, then I happened to turn around to see a large crowd of people wanting to feel the baby kick as well. Ty, who was sitting on the counter, laughed a little as Natsu rushed over to me. He then kept a careful eye on everyone who came close to me, glaring occasionally at a few people. Finally, Gray stepped forth and Natsu growled at him.

"Really, pyro?" Gray said, glaring daggers at Natsu. "You didn't growl at anyone else!"

"I don't really want you around her or my kid, you pervert," my husband said as they both got closer for a stare down. "You're a bad influence."

Before a brawl could start up, I grabbed Natsu by the scarf and Gray by the collar, forcibly pulling the two of them apart as I yelled, "Both of you, shut the hell up! I swear, if I see either of you fighting, I'll rip you limb from limb!"

There were a few snickers behind me as a few people saw me stopping the fight before it started. Gray looked horrified and took off, but Natsu stayed beside me with a lazy grin. "You and I both know you wouldn't do that to me."

"Yeah, but he doesn't need to know that," I said, nodding in the direction that Gray just ran to and smiled evilly.

"You're so devious," he said, placing his hands on either side of my face before kissing me softly and then smiling back. "It's one of the many reasons why I love you. Hopefully, our daughter isn't as mischievous as you."

"No, she'll be a perfect angel, I'm sure," I told him. "We're both pretty bad, so our child has to be different."

For some reason, it was decided that yet another party was going to be thrown for the baby, only this time it would be held at my home. Everyone grabbed food and began to follow us to the gate that led to the mansion, I even invited the man who opened the gate for me every day. He said he would love to join us, but wanted instead to spend some time with his family. I nodded and opened the gate before letting people through. I was pulled along by Natsu after and all I could do was sigh.

Once we reached the mansion and began to get set up nearby the lake, I had this weird feeling deep in my gut that unsettled me. I knew it had nothing to do with the baby and yet my maternal instincts kicked in. Being a pregnant Dragon Slayer meant I was more Dragon than human in instinct to protect my unborn child and I let out a chilling growl, startling everyone else before the other Dragon Slayers finally sensed the same thing I did a few seconds later. They formed a circle around me, Natsu staying close to me when we could hear a roar in the background. I saw three massive shapes rushing towards us from the horizon that landed with a thud near the water's edge, towering over us easily as I caught sight of them. Three Dragons regally looked down upon us, staying still in what I thought might be an attempt to seem nonthreatening. One was red, one was white, and one was a metallic black.

The other members of the guild gasped and I knew that they were all remembering Acnologia. They must be thinking about how evil he is and wondering if these three Dragons were the same as him. I watched the middle Dragon, the one that was red, and tried to figure out why he was so familiar when it hit me. This Dragon had red scales covering his entire body except for his lower body, which was beige. He had a large X-shaped scar on the center of his body and huge bat-like wings. His head was triangular compared to the other two Dragons and had horns stretching out near the base of his skull, also one sharp horn that pointed upwards on his nose. He had black spikes that travelled down his spine and to the tip of his tail, then long sharp canine teeth. I saw him staring down at Natsu and me with extremely intelligent yellow eyes and I felt Natsu shaking almost unnoticeably. I looked over at him and saw that he was staring at the red Dragon in shock, then I noticed that Gajeel and Wendy had frozen up as well. That was when I knew for sure who these Dragons were.

"Igneel…?" Natsu murmured, then took off at a run to the Dragons with Gajeel and Wendy in tow. "Igneel!" he yelled this time as he jumped at the Dragon, who chuckled lightly when the Fire Dragon Slayer hugged him the best he could. The other two Dragon Slayers did the same, although Gajeel's Dragon looked slightly miffed at his behavior. I knew that the white Dragon must be Grandeeney and the metallic Dragon was Metalicana.

For some reason, I felt really angry all of a sudden as I began to walk in the direction of the Dragons. Sensing that something was about to happen, Sting and Rogue walked behind me like my own personal bodyguards, our cats trailing beside us as we walked. I could see that the three Dragon Slayers were happy, but I just couldn't believe the fact that they didn't care a bit about the fact that their Dragons had been gone for so long. As I walked up to Igneel and Natsu, the Fire Dragon gazed down at me expressionlessly, assessing me right on the spot.

"I can smell Natsu's scent all over you. You must be Timara Wyvernia," the red Dragon said.

"Actually, it's Timara Dragneel now," I told him, my face just as expressionless as his so I wouldn't give anything away on purpose. If this was the game he wanted to play, then I would beat him at it.

"Ah, yes, I forgot the human tradition of marriage. So you're his wife," Igneel said.

"And his mate," I said as I pointed to the fiery red tattoo on my neck and shoulder. I felt the two Dragon Slayers behind me move a bit closer as the tension seemed to rise. "Now, here's what I would like to know. Why the hell did you Dragons just up and leave your children? You guys must be terrible parents."

All three of the Dragons let out growls at me, but I stood my ground. Natsu looked back at me, looking torn between wanting to run over to me and stay with Igneel, finally choosing to run to me and try to pull me away from them. "Natsu, stop," Igneel said and he instantly froze. The great Dragon glared down at me, moving his head down to my level to make the glare seem even more intimidating but I remained unfazed by it. "I am The Flame Dragon King, girl. I am one of the strongest Dragons alive and I suggest you hold your tongue lest you are faced with the consequences."

"Yeah, and I'm the Shadow Queen," I retorted. "The way I see it is that there was one Dragon you weren't able to kill and that was Acnologia. I couldn't either, which means that technically we are on the same level and I really don't feel afraid of you, so you can stop trying to intimidate me any time now. It won't work and it's just a waste of time for the both of us."

There was a peal of laughter from Grandeeney and Igneel glared at her to avoid showing me his silent mirth. Natsu made me look at him and said, "Don't antagonize him, Timara!"

"I wasn't," I said as innocently as possible. "Besides, he started it. I just finished it."

"Please," he said, grabbing my chin and making me look him in the eyes.

"Hey, I know what I'm doing," I told him with a smile as he moved closer to lean his forehead against mine. "I'm proving to him that I'm more than worthy to be his son's mate and wife. Besides, he secretly likes me already, he's just acting like a stubborn old man right now."

"I can hear you, you know," Igneel grumbled in an undignified fashion, but I could see amusement in his eyes. The baby started kicking fiercely when Natsu placed a hand on my stomach, looking more than proud and joyous. Next thing I knew, Igneel leaned his head down once more and touched his nose to my stomach as well, the baby moving excitedly and kicking my ribs, which hurt a bit but I kept that fact to myself. Then, Igneel reached over and grabbed Natsu, sitting back on his haunches and watching as Natsu tried to get free. "You and I are going to have ourselves a little 'talk' now before that baby comes," the red Dragon said, shooing me away when I moved closer curiously. "Don't worry, Timara, it's just a father-son talk. No harm will come to him."

I wasn't entirely convinced, but then Wendy came over to drag me over to meet Grandeeney. She wasn't like other Dragons, most of which having scales. Her body was covered in tissue similar to bird legs and her feet looked like a bird's talons as well. Her head was covered in what looked like fur and her skull was somewhat broad and flat. The fur on her head extended down to her neck and upper chest region. Her white wings were feathery and reminded me a bit of Acnologia's. She also had these bright blue eyes that looked like they could see down to your soul if she wanted.

"I figured that you wouldn't want to listen to them bonding," the white Dragon said. "I also wished to thank you for watching out for my Wendy while I was away. I am grateful."

"It was nothing," I told her. "Wendy has been a dear and is always very helpful."

"And another thing," the Sky Dragon said hesitantly, "I wanted to say that I'm sorry about what happened to Skiadrum all those years ago. He was a good friend of mine. If you or your brother ever needs anything, I'll be there to help. I'll consider you both as my own children in Skiadrum's memory."

"Do you know how he got to be so sick?" I asked her quietly.

"Of course," Grandeeney said. "The same way that Igneel's not-so-secret mate was discovered to be sick. He was suffering from blood poisoning due to a lost fight with Acnologia. I'm guessing that he didn't tell either of you that fact because he knew one of you, or both, would make it your life's goal to kill the evil Dragon. He didn't want for either of you to be destroyed by him like he had been."

"That stubborn fool," I whispered under my breath before looking back up at the Dragon before me. "Thank you for telling me. It's good to finally know what happened to him that made him so sick."

"You're welcome, child," Grandeeney said, bowing her head slightly.

I smiled and then walked away, seeing that Fairy Tail already had everything set up and were now enjoying the party when I felt a strange pain course through me. I stopped walking and I gasped a little, placing a hand on my stomach when I felt the baby shift uncomfortably. The pain went on for a few more seconds before it slowly faded away. I saw Rogue and Sting come over to me, twin worried looks on their faces as they watched me. Ty flew over to stand on my shoulder, looking just as worried as the other two cats that came to stand by their partners.

"Timara, is everything ok?" Rogue asked me, placing a hand on my other shoulder.

"Yes, I'm fine," I told him, smiling a little in an attempt to alleviate their concern.

They didn't look very convinced, but didn't say anything as they walked with me up to where the tables and chairs were set up. Food was being put out and I could only smile as Sting took care of things for me, refusing to let me get up from my chair and I could see that he was still worried about me. All I could do was sigh and let them do what they wanted. After about fifteen minutes had passed, that same pain hit me again, only this time it was much worse. I hunched over, whimpering a little as I placed my hands on my stomach and Ty leapt off my shoulder to yell to Rogue. He took one look at me and then immediately looked over at Natsu and Igneel.

"Natsu!" Rogue shouted and I watched as he looked over at us. "Get over here now!"

He immediately began to struggle to free himself from Igneel's grip, the Dragon then let go and Natsu dropped to the ground before taking off towards us. "What's wrong?" he yelled as he slid to a stop.

"Nothing is wrong," I said. "Rogue is just getting a bit carried away."

"That's a lie and you know it!" Sting groaned as he covered his eyes with his hand in frustration.

"Timara here is going into labor and she's in denial," Rogue said to Natsu as they both glared at me.

I tried to protest and defend myself when Natsu cut me off. "Stop trying to deny it. We're going to the hospital right now."

Immediately, everything was thrown into chaos as everyone shouted a bunch of different ways to get me there the fastest, even going so far as to have one of the Dragons, most likely Grandeeney since she was the smallest of the two, fly Natsu and me to the hospital. With a sigh, another wave of pain went through me and I stood up, no one noticing me walking away down the path towards Magnolia until a Dragon leapt through the air and in front of me, growling to stop me in my tracks. Crouched down in front of me was Metalicana, his tail whipping back and forth as he watched me.

"Nice try, missy," he said, the sun shining brightly off of his metallic hide as he pulled his wings tightly against his spin. "How about you wait for a plan to be made before trying to sneak off?"

"How about you just let me by now and I won't be forced to make you?" I asked him blankly, feeling a bit angry.

"Ohhh, scary little Dragon Slayer," the Iron Dragon growled in amusement. "I'd like to see you try. Just because you're having a child very soon, doesn't mean I will take it easy on you."

"Reedus, make a wheelchair for Timara now before she gets into a fight," Makarov said with a sigh as the other wizard agreed, creating the wheelchair using his Pict Magic.

Natsu ran the wheelchair over to me, forcing me to sit down on it and then wheeled me away past the Dragon as fast as he could. Our partners flew after us as we sped along and I hissed as I felt the pain starting back up. I yelled at Natsu to slow down but he ignored me, growling in irritation with me and I knew that I wasn't going to get anywhere with him. I was pretty sure we made it to the hospital in record time, Natsu collapsing in the lobby floor in exhaustion as the doctors rushed to me. I refused to let them move me anywhere until I knew Natsu was ok, lashing out with my magic to keep them away from me until he got to his feet and walked over to me. He took my hand and I finally let the doctors take me to a room on the second floor. They let me stay there, saying that the baby wasn't quite ready to arrive yet, and handed me one of the gowns to put on. The moment they left me with Natsu, I changed into the gown that I found extremely stupid, got up onto my feet, and began to pace back and forth in the room, hissing in outrage the entire time.

"Timara, just relax," Natsu sighed as he sat down on the bed and watched me.

"I don't want to," I told him, still pacing in defiance. "The baby might not be ready to be born but I'm certainly ready for it. I refuse for my child to be more stubborn than me."

He finally grabbed my wrist and dragged me over to the bed to sit next to him, growling at me when I threatened to bite him. I grumbled in irritation and settled down next to him. After several hours of the pain increasing and me making sure not to make noises to worry Natsu too much, the doctors finally decided that it was time. They placed magic sealing bracelets on my wrists to keep me from attacking them with my Dragon Slayer Magic, but by this point I didn't care. All I could remember after that was it was a haze of excruciating pain and I tried not to scream, but I couldn't help it anymore. Natsu held a cold washcloth to my forehead whenever I took a break for a few seconds and I would sigh in relief as the pain subsided for a bit.

"I know you're tired, but you're almost done," Natsu whispered in my ear as he stroked my hair, pressing the cold washcloth to my forehead again while I relaxed for a little while. "Just push a little more and we'll have our daughter in our arms."

"He's right, you know," the doctor said. "One more big push and that's it."

I growled a little to bite back a whimper as the pain came back, starting to push as hard as I could when I heard a tiny wail. I collapsed back onto the bed in exhaustion, closing my eyes as Natsu hugged me proudly. I tiredly wrapped an arm around him and just tried not to fall asleep when a few minutes later I heard the doctor come over with the crying baby girl that was now all cleaned up. The doctor smiled as I opened my eyes, the man handing her over to me so I could hold her. The very moment that she was in my arms, she stopped crying, opened her eyes, and looked up at me. She had her father's pink hair that looked darker and fluffy, a few even duskier streaks mixed within, but she had dark tawny gold eyes that were a mix of both Natsu's and mine. I couldn't help the smile that forced its way to my lips and she mimicked me, her eyes crinkling as she smiled back.

"Obviously, you already know it's a baby girl," the doctor said. "What are you going to name her?"

"Saphira," I said reverently, kissing the top of her head as she cooed. "Saphira Dragneel."

"Can I take her out for the rest of the guild to see while you get some rest?" Natsu asked me quietly as the doctor left the room.

Even though I didn't want to part with my newborn daughter just yet, I nodded and handed her over to him. I saw the same sense of wonder on his face as he looked at her, a slow grin forming as he gazed at her. He leaned over to kiss me quickly before carefully leaving with our baby. I turned my head towards the window, noticing that it was nighttime just before I passed out from exhaustion.

A few days later and we could finally leave the hospital with Saphira. There was a party waiting for us back at our home, although I was pretty sure that no one let me know about that idea. I just figured that Natsu told them it was ok. Unfortunately for him and me, Natsu didn't want me to walk the whole way home so we had to take a ride in a horse drawn carriage back. We both groaned as our stomachs protested, but Saphira didn't protest at least so we took it as a win. The trip back didn't take as long as we expected and we were greeted by everyone from Fairy Tail and the three Dragons. The party was in full swing, I was refusing to let anyone hold Saphira just yet, when the Dragons began to look like they might leave. Natsu caught sight of their behavior and ran towards them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Natsu yelled as I held the baby closer to me. She seemed entranced by the Dragons.

"We just came back to see the newborn," Igneel announced. "It's time for us to leave."

"You can't do that a second time! It's just wrong!"

"This is not something that can be changed, Natsu! We are leaving now whether you like it or not!"

"No!" Natsu shouted, baring his fangs as he rushed at The Fire Dragon, his fists ablaze as he ran.

I had a bad feeling that, even though Natsu was much stronger now than he was back before Igneel left the first time, he still wouldn't be able to beat his father. Just as Natsu leapt into the air to punch Igneel, the Dragon whipped around quickly and smacked him to the ground with his tail. The Dragon Slayer got to his feet quickly, almost as if he was used to an attack like that, and then used Crystal Dragon's Roar, which sent shards of crystals at the Dragon. In retaliation, Igneel used his own Roar and completely melted the crystals in midair.

"Nice try, Natsu, but my fire burns hot enough that I can melt anything," Igneel said with a laugh. "I suggest you just fight fire with fire or you will lose quickly."

Both of them immediately used their Roars again, fire against fire. It wasn't long until Igneel's flames pushed back at Natsu's and then exploded on him. I gasped in surprise but Saphira still watched on, captivated by the fight between the two. I saw Natsu jump from the flames, using them for speed as he launched himself at Igneel, only to have the Dragon grab him before slamming him to the ground to pin him there. Natsu stuggled fiercely even though I could tell that he knew the fight was done.

"Enough, Natsu," Igneel said quietly. "We've just got to leave now. I know you don't want us to go, but we have to."

"I know," was all Natsu would say, his struggles stopping.

Igneel and the other two Dragons moved closer to Saphira and me, each of them getting just close enough for the baby to squeal in joy before hugging their noses the best she could. All three of the Dragons looked amused by her behavior before they walked over to the lake. They all said goodbye to their children one last time before jumping into the air and flying away at a rapid pace. Saphira whimpered a little, saddened by the fact that they left, but Ty walked over to cheer her up. Saphira giggled a little and hugged the cat, Ty yowling a little when the baby yanked on her tail. I felt a bit sorry for her but my attention was then focused on Natsu as he walked dejectedly back over to me, the talking amongst Fairy Tail members picking back up again.

"Are you going to be ok, Natsu?" I asked him worriedly, watching him as he sat down beside me. He leaned over to kiss me, then the baby as she smiled at him.

"I'll be fine so long as I have both of you with me," he told me, grinning happily to make my concern wash away.

Never before had I felt this happy in my entire life. I may have had a terrible start to my life, one that began with memory loss, but this part of my story was one I never wanted to lose. I had a family now and there was nothing I wouldn't do to protect it. If there was one thing I did know then it was that this wasn't the end and it never would be. We would keep on going until the bitter end and I would have Fairy Tail, my brother, and Natsu to be there for me. This was all just the beginning.

* * *

**It took me a while to come up with the name for the sequel, but I found the one I want to use. If you want to know what happens next for our beloved characters, then look out for_ Dark Dragon Wars._**


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